Never Really Gone
by LStilinski
Summary: Moving from Beacon Hills to the great New York City, Lydia Martin thought she would never get used to her new life. Time passed and she embraced her new home, made new friends, adapted to the new city. She didn't even think about who she used to be until she's forced to move back to her hometown, where she has to face her childhood memories, her oldest friends and a probable future
1. I Thought She Would Never Come Back

For a long time, Lydia's biggest dream was to come back home.

She waited for the moment her dad would enter her room and say "pack your bags, we're leaving." Lydia used to think she would never get used to a big city like New York. Beacon Hills wasn't a boring small town or something like that, but it couldn't be compared to the big apple. When she was dragged away by her parents, she thought she would never stop missing Beacon Hills, and that she would spend every minute of her life thinking about going back to her hometown. Secretly, she swore she would never call her new house a home.

She should have known that time changes everything.

The years passed and the life she had in BH became nothing but her past. The longing she had, that once suffocated her and made her beg to go back, vanished piece by piece, and the space her old friends occupied in her became smaller and smaller. She wasn't the eleven year old Lydia eternally mad at her parents anymore. She got older, and smarter. She changed and accepted her new life without even realizing it.

That's why, after seven years, Lydia wasn't even in the slightest excited to go to Beacon Hills. For the contrary: it was the same nightmare happening all over again. Because of a messy divorce and the involvement of the media, she had to say goodbye to all of her friends, to everything she had built in New York. On top of that, she had to leave on her senior year. Lydia couldn't accept that her parents were making her go through all of that again, but in the inside she knew they were doing what was best for her. On the outside, she was still mad.

At Beacon Hill's small airport, Lydia bit her lip as she waited for her aunt Monica, with whom she would be living with, since her old house had been sold. She fidgeted with the strap of her bag, checked the time on her cell phone, and looked around her. She had been in town for less then two hours and was already counting the minutes to go back home. She was a stranger there. During the seven years she had been gone, she must have vanished from the mind of all of her old friends. Back in New York, she was known and respected by everyone in her school. She had built a reputation and gained her spot on the top of the popularity chain. In Beacon Hills, she was a nobody.

 _Only one year, Lydia_ , she told herself. _One year._

"Lydia!" she heard her name being called. The girl turned her head and spotted her aunt coming in her direction, smiling widely and waving. She smiled and got up from her seat.

"Hey, aunt Monica" she said, not even close to being as happy as the woman.

"Look at you, all grown up!" Monica hugged her niece with a tight and long embrace, which Lydia tried to reciprocate the best way she could. "Oh, you must be exhausted! And I bet you can't wait to see your new room. Come on, let's go!"

Monica pushed the baggage cart while Lydia dragged her feet behind her. During the ride to the house, the girl looked out at the window, sometimes nodding at the story her aunt was telling. How uninterested can a person look without being noticed?

Lydia was hit by a wave of nostalgia as they drove through the streets of her hometown. Like a movie about her childhood was being played right before her eyes, she couldn't help but smile as she remembered the moments she had spent at the small park where she used to hang out with her friends after school, or the visits to the convenience store where they bought snacks for their movie marathons.

"We're here!" Monica announced, pulling the girl out of her reveries.

They had parked in front of a vintage looking two story house with a small front yard. She helped get her luggage out of the car and drag them into the house. On the inside, it was simple and cozy, with furniture made out of dark wood and walls covered with photographs. They carried the bags upstairs, and Monica gave her niece an excited look before opening one of the doors in the hallway.

"This was the guest room, which I used for storage, hm... a lot of crap, honestly. Most of the things I kept here went straight to the trash. You might have saved me from becoming a horder." She let out a small laugh. "Anyway, I cleaned it up. You can decorate it as you want, it's your room after all."

Lydia nodded, looking around the room. Beside the bed, covered by a purple comforter, a wardrobe, a desk and an office chair, the place was empty. The walls were painted with a boring cream tone, the wooden floor was stained and scratched.

"Thank you, it's perfect," she lied, when in reality she wanted to catch the first flight back to New York, to her spacious closet, to her carefully decorated room. Nothing about the room she was standing in now had anything to do with her, not even the town matched her lifestyle.

Monica smiled, satisfied.

"Ok, I'll let you... Oh, before I forget, you are registered at school, you can start on Monday." Lydia pursed her lips, feeling sick. "I'll let you rest now. If you need anything, just yell, okay?"

The girl nodded again. Monica kissed the top of her hair and left the room, closing the door behind her. As soon as she was alone, Lydia sat on the bed and dropped her head on her hands. She had avoided as much as she could thinking about going back to Beacon Hills High School, over a month after the classes started. Walking in those hallways, meeting people she used to study with as a child...She was not ready for that. Her stomach turned, reacting with a mix of fear and anxiety that she was not used to feel.

Lydia didn't like to be alone. That was why she worked so hard to maintain her popularity: she needed to keep her friends close - even though she shouldn't be calling most of those people that. She enjoyed the distractions that came from an audience, the only way to ignore the blank space left by her always so busy parents. In Beacon Hills, she had no friends. The ones she used to have may not recognize her. Maybe they didn't even remember her, or maybe they didn't want her back. That year could do wrong in so many ways that Lydia held her breath just thinking about it.

The redhead laid down and put the pillow over her head. It was Tuesday, so she had a few days to prepare herself to go back to school. Or maybe to come up with a plan to go back home.

Xxxx

"Stiles, slow down," Allison said, watching horrified as his friends stuffed his face with french fries.

"Sorry, I'm starving," he replied with his mouth full. "And this shit is so good."

"It's not that good, it's just your hunger," Malia pitched in, sliding the tray away from her boyfriend. Stiles protested, but she gave him her can of soda. "Chew first."

The boy made a face to his girlfriend, putting the straw between his lips. Malia just smiled sweetly and elbowed him. Scott walked over to the table they were in and sat beside Allison with eyes wide and an incredulous smile on his lips.

"What is it?" Allison asked, looking at him with worry.

"I just spoke with my mom on the phone," he said. "You will not believe what she told me."

"We have no reason to doubt your mom, Scott," Stiles commented.

"It's an expression, you... Ah, whatever." He chose to ignore his friend. "Lydia is back."

Caught by surprise, Stiles spit out a mouth full of soda directly into Scott's face, who unfortunately sat in front of him.

"Thanks, dude," he said, wiping the liquid away from his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Lydia... Martin?" Allison asked, coughing, had almost choked. "Our Lydia?"

"Who's Lydia?" Malia asked.

"Yes. My mom works with her aunt at the hospital, remember? She told me Lydia is going to spend the year here in Beacon Hills."

Allison leaned back on her chair, smiling.

"That's just... uau."

"Right? I thought she would never come back," Scott agreed, smiling too. "How long it's been, five years?"

"Seven." She looked around the cafeteria, looking for the strawberry blonde girl. "She's not here today, is she?"

"No, she'll be back on Monday."

"Who's Lydia?" Malia asked again, louder this time.

"She was... She is a friend of ours who moved to New York," Allison answered, feeling excited. "I can't believe she's coming back, I've missed her."

"Me too," Scott said. "Remember those crazy movie marathons we used to do at her house?"

Allison laughed.

"Yeah. Stiles always did us the favor to eat everything. Remember, Stiles?"

The boy was obviously not paying any attention to the conversation. He stared at the table with a slightly panicked expression on his face. He lifted his head when he noticed that everyone at the table had their eyes on him.

"Hm, what?" He blinked.

"Are you ok?" Malia asked, placing one hand on his arm.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine," he answered quickly. "I'm just surprised, that's all."

"Okay..." Malia eyed him suspiciously.

"I ahn... I gotta go to the bathroom. See you guys in class." Without waiting for an answer, he got up and left the cafeteria.

With large steps, Stiles bolted to the men's bathroom. He stood in front of one of the sinks and splashed some cold water on his face, to pull himself together. When he lifted his eyes to the mirror, he saw that the chocked expression was still there, displayed all over his face. Of course it was; that was the day he had given up waiting for. He had said goodbye to Lydia Martin. He had accepted that she would only be part of his memory, not of his life. He had gotten over her, healed himself, moved on. Now there she was, threatening to dig up everything he had taken months, years to bury. Promising to make him feel everything he loved and hated.

Stiles feared he wasn't strong enough to stop her. Because she didn't even have to do anything; just the fact that she would be _there_ could screw everything up. Big time.

"Holy shit," he whispered to himself. 


	2. Exactly The Way She Least Expected

Lydia sighed as she stared at the pile of discarded clothes that now decorated her bed. That wasn't just a consequence of her spending hours trying to find the perfect look for her first day, but it also was a sign of her nervousness. Her mom always used to say she was able to know her daughter's mood by the state of her room: the messier, the more nervous or anxious she was. That didn't happen just because she needed to feel pretty; she also needed to feel confident, strong. And even if she didn't feel quite this way, she would have to make everyone believe her. She would have to build the perfect armor, and that took time.

The strawberry blond turned around to check her reflection on the mirror. She had decided to go with long-sleeved dark floral dress, which ended just above her knees, one of her favorites. Her makeup was delicate and her hair fell in waves down her shoulders. The girl in the mirror didn't feel butterflies in her stomach, didn't feel her heart racing in anticipation, didn't want to run and hide. No, that girl was ready for anything.

Lydia knew how to build armors. She was a professional.

"Lydia, come eat breakfast!" Her aunt called from down the stairs.

"I'm coming!" She yelled back.

She hung her bag on her shoulder and looked at herself on the mirror one more time before leaving the room she still didn't claim de be hers. She descended the stairs and was immediately hit by the smell of fresh coffee and eggs. Her stomach did a somersault and she wrinkled her nose; if she ate, she was almost sure she would throw up. She grabbed an apple and sat by the table.

"You're not hungry?" Monica asked.

"No, I don't eat much in the mornings," Lydia answered, and her aunt gave her a sympathetic look.

"You're nervous, hun?" The girl arched an eyebrow, surprised. Of course she was, but no one had to know. So she scoffed and shrugged.

"Of course not," she said, taking a bite of her apple. Monica let out a laugh, shaking her head.

"My god, you're just like your mother."

Lydia frowned, confused.

"How?"

"Natalie has this thing with displaying her feelings, she said it made her look weak. Even when everybody knew she had reasons to be at least upset, she insisted in saying everything was great," Monica explained.

Lydia chewed thoughtfully. That wasn't new to her; her mom had taught her all her tricks. "Be cold if it makes you stronger," she was always saying. The girl admired her mother for going through all her marriage crises without smudging her makeup or climbing down her high heels. And that was how she intended to deal with all her problems in life: without letting it bring her down.

"It doesn't have to be like this," Monica said as if she could read her niece's mind. She reached out and grabbed the girl's hand. "It's okay if you're..."

Lydia slid out her hand carefully and stood up, grabbing her bag.

"I'm not nervous. I just want to get it over with, ok? I want this year to be over so I can come back home. That's all," she said. "Can we go now, please?

Monica sighed and nodded, getting on her feet and putting her mug in the sink. Lydia didn't really care if she let her aunt down in any way, she just wanted that day to be over. She waited until Monica grabbed her bag and car keys, then went to the car. The ride was short and quiet, but Lydia felt her nervousness grow as they got closer to the school. The palms of her hands were sweaty, and her heart race refused to slow down. How slow would that day pass if she didn't calm down?

"We're here," Monica announced as she pulled over next to school building. Lydia took a deep breath and opened the door, stepped out and smoothed her dress. Her aunt called her as she closed the door, and the girl leaned on the window. "Everything is gonna be fine, okay? Don't worry."

Lydia couldn't help but smile a little. Satisfied with the response she got, Monica waved and started the car. The girl turned around and started walking towards the building. She liked hearing those words, but they didn't really make a difference; she still wasn't convinced everything would be fine.

She walked with large steps to the office, where she got her schedule and her locker number and the combination to open it. She ignored the looks she got as she walked down the hallway. Apparently, nothing gets more attention at a school than a new girl who arrives a month after vacation is over.

Lydia had just gotten to her locked and tried to open it when she heard her name being called.

"Lydia?" The girl turned her head and spotted Allison, standing not too far from where she was. Her dark hair, which once went all the way down to her back, now ended just above her shoulders. She had gotten taller since the last time they saw each other, but she had the same large, dimpled smile that was hard to forget. "Lydia Martin?"

"Allison Argent?" Lydia smiled, her chest tightening because she had forgotten how much she had missed that girl.

"Oh my god, oh my god!" The brunette ran to her friend, embracing her in a bear hug, which the strawberry blond reciprocated gladly, laughing out loud. Lydia and Allison's friendship began in kindergarten, where they became inseparable. They were sisters from the heart, and where one of them was, the other was too. Before they lost touch, the conversations with Allison were one of the few things that kept Lydia sane in New York, and even after all those years, she never had a friend like the brunette. "Oh, I've missed you. I thought you would never come back!"

"Yeah, me neither," she confessed. They stood there, smiling and just letting the fact that they were together again sink in until Allison jumped.

"Let's go find Scott, he will love to see you," she said, hooking her arm around Lydia's and dragging her along as she walked down the hall. Lydia laughed as she almost stumbled trying to follow her old friend's large steps. "Scott!"

The boy, who was busy putting some books inside his locker, turned his head when he heard his name being called. Allison gestured frantically towards the girl beside her, and his whole face lit up when he recognized who that was. Scott had gotten larger, more muscular. His face had the same charisma, and he still smiled like a child. He approached them with arms wide open and hugged Lydia, whose feet left the floor. The girl laughed as he spun her around.

"Scott, I'm wearing a dress!" She yelped, almost out of air.

"Oops, sorry," he said, putting her down. Lydia put a hand on his shoulder as she regained balance on her heels, pushing her hair away from her face. "I almost didn't believe when my mom told me you were coming back. You haven't changed a thing!"

"Can't say the same about you. What have you been eating?" she asked, squeezing his biceps. Scott laughed and shrugged.

"Basically anything slightly eatable," Allison said, putting an arm around his waist. "I swear, Stiles and him..."

Scott's eyes went wide.

"Oh, we gotta find Stiles!" He exclaimed, almost jumping up and down with excitement. "The pack is back together!"

Lydia smiled, but her stomach started turning again. A big part of her was genuinely happy to see them again, but the other part kept asking if all that joy was just about the heat of the moment. " _The pack_ ", as the four friends liked to call each other, had stopped being a thing years ago, and she had accepted that. But she felt strange because so far things were going exactly the way she least expected, with her old friends welcoming her with tight and truthful hugs.

Scott placed one arm around Lydia's shoulders and Allison grabbed her hand as they walked out of the building, almost like she would fade away if they let her go.

"I think he's somewhere out here," the brunette said, looking around.

"He must be with Malia," Scott said. "There they are."

Lydia turned around and looked in the direction he was pointing. Stiles walked to the building with an arm around a beautiful blonde girl. She laughed openly as he said something to her with a playful smile on his face. Stiles had let his hair grow and now it was a mess on his head, like she didn't even try to put it in place before he left his house, and like Scott, he had gotten taller.

"Stiles!" Scott called, waving.

Stiles lifted his head and looked at them. The moment his eyes laid on Lydia, his smile faded. The strawberry blonde's heart started race and he looked at her like she was a mirage, something that didn't quite fit the scenario, something that only he could see. The blonde eyed him with confusion, and dragged him by the hand closer to their friends.

"Hey guys," she said, smiling politely at Lydia, waiting for someone to introduce them. Stiles still stared at her like he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Malia, this is Lydia," Allison said. Lydia gave her a closed lip smile and waved lightly.

"The famous Lydia, hum?" Malia arched her eyebrows. Lydia frowned and she explained: "These two have been talking about you nonstop for days. I feel like I already know you."

The strawberry blond felt her face get hot and smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to say. She landed her eyes on Stiles, who still wore an almost chocked expression.

"Hi, Stiles," she said, amused by his face. He blinked rapidly.

"Hi, ahn... Lydia, you..." he stuttered, gesturing with his hands, a clear sign of his nervousness. Giving up, he opened his arms. Lydia laughed and took a step forward, hugging him. "Wow, it's good to see you."

"You too," she said as he let her go.

"So, it's official?" Allison asked, smiling widely. "The pack is really back together?"

"Looks like it," Stiles answered, without taking his eyes off Lydia. 


	3. This Is Just Crazy

Stiles didn't hear a word the teacher said. Even if he tried to focus on the class, his mind kept going back to the only thing that seemed to be occupying it: Lydia.

He never thought he would see her again. They had said goodbye, she had left his life, he had gotten over her; those were the facts. At least, that was what he liked to be believe. The truth was that he feared that she could never just be gone. He feared that she had left such a mark on him that she became part of him. You never forget the first girl you asked to dance with, the first girl that made your heart beat faster, the first girl you fell in love with. And being in love with Lydia Martin was one of the things that made him who he was.

But that had been a long time ago. She went away and Stiles suffered, probably more than his friends, though he didn't like to admit that, but he couldn't suffer forever. He had made himself let her go. He had locked her in the corner of his mind until he forgot her. And only when being in love with her didn't make sense anymore, Stiles moved on. He met Malia, started dating her. And though he never thought it would happen again, he fell for her.

When he saw her that morning... Stiles found out he was right. Lydia Martin was never really gone from his life. He knew that the moment he saw her long strawberry blonde hair shining under the sun, her big green eyes meeting his and her full red lips curving into a smile. He knew that because suddenly she was the only one he could see among all the people around him, and his heart started beating so loud he was almost sure everyone could hear it. Stiles couldn't believe she was actually *there*. He wasn't ready for that moment, he wasn't ready to feel that way.

The boy heard someone say his name and looked around, disoriented. He found Scott, sitting beside him, staring at him with a worried expression.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"What? Oh, yeah, sure," he answered, adjusting himself on his chair. "I'm great, why'd you ask?"

"Because you look like you're about to throw up."

"Oh. Well, hum..." Stiles' eyes scanned the classroom, looking for a viable excuse. He gestured to the the white board. "Just... Cells and #mitoses. Pretty grosse, right?"

Scott only arched an eyebrow at him. It was obvious he knew the boy was lying; besides being best friends since forever, Stiles was a crappy liar. It was hard to hide the truth when the other person knew all your expressions and gestures. Stiles sunk in his chair; he wouldn't be surprised if Scott knew exactly what he was thinking.

"What is it?" Scott asked again, knowing his friends wouldn't bother to find another excuse.

"I don't even know why you ask," he #resmungou. Scott laughed briefly and leaned back on his chair, crossing his arms on his chest as he waited for an answer. Stiles sighed "Lydia."

Scott nodded slowly, not surprised at all.

"So you're still... you know."

"No. I don't know." Stiles ran his hand on his face, frustrated. "I'm not supposed to like her anymore. I mean, she left years ago. It doesn't make any sense that I still have all those things I used to feel for her. You know, I thought I had forgotten about all that, but when I saw her today..."

"Everything came back up," Scott completed. Stiles nodded.

"It was like I was ten again. It was worse than a flashback... For a moment, it was like she never left. It was like I was still..." He put his elbow on the desk and let his head fall on his hands. "I can't be in love with her, it doesn't make any sense. It's just not possible."

"Well..." Scott started.

"I mean, I love Malia, I really do. So this is crazy, right?" Stiles let out a short laugh and eyed at his friends with a slightly desperate look on his face. I can't be in love with two girls at the same time, right? This is just crazy?"

Scott sighed, wetting his lips.

"Listen, man. You guys were best friends, so maybe you felt that way when you saw her because you just really missed her. It doesn't have to mean that you're still in love."

Stiles agreed with his head.

"You're right," he said. "You're right"

"It's obvious that you love Malia, everyone know that. So don't star doubting what you feel for her because of what happened."

"Yeah. Yeah, of course." Stiles smiling, feeling a weight leaving his shoulders. "Look at you, giving me love advices."

"You're too dumb to do it all by yourself, it's my duty to help you with your love life," Scott said. "And, well, Malia scare me a little bit, so if you fuck up..."

"Don't worry about it. If she kills me because of one of your advices, I'll come back and haunt your ass."

"I'll send you back to hell, you..."

"McCall and Stilinski, you have anything you'd like to share with the class?" Mr. Pratt asked, making everyone turn their eyes to them.

"Hm, no sir," Scott answered at the same time Stiles said: "Scott can perform exorcisms."

The teacher just rolled his eyes and resumed his class.

Xxxx

Lydia had a tight grip on her tray and bit her lips as she scanned the crowded cafeteria, looking for an empty table. That would never happen in New York; at the center of the hall, there would be the biggest and more #disputada table, and her seat would be saved there. If she didn't feel like getting in line, someone would go get her lunch, with no complaints. All because Lydia was always the center of everything, the very top of the social chain.

Now there she was, not knowing where to sit. She couldn't just take an empty place, like it was no big deal. Even though she saw a few familiar faces around the place, it would be weird. During the day, some of them recognized her from the years before, and the number of people who actually asked how she was was even shorter. Lydia acted the same way as always: smiling with sympathy, answering politely. On the inside, she missed how everyone seemed to stop to watch her walk down the hallway. She missed how they fought for her attention.

That year in Beacon Hills would cause serious damage to the girl's ego.

"Lydia!" She spotted Allison waving from across the cafeteria. Lydia walked over to the table they were in, careful not to run into anyone.

"Hey,"she said, sitting beside Allison and across the table from Malia, who nodded as she ate her cheeseburger.

"So, I was just talking to Malia that we should hang out, the five of us," Allison said, turning to the strawberry blonde. "You know, to catch up."

Lydia blinked.

"Ahn, yeah, sounds nice."

"We were going out for dinner this Friday," Malia said. "But I don't think you'd like to be the fifth wheel."

"Fifth wheel...?" Lydia frowned, not understanding what she meant. When she finally got it, she widened her eyes to Allison. "Hold on, you and Scott..."

"Yes, we're dating," the brunette answered, smiling.

"Oh my god!" Lydia nearly screamed, hugging Allison's shoulders. The redhead couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before; it was obvious by the way they acted around each other that they were a couple. Maybe she was too used to see them as friends to see what was in front of her. But the news couldn't make her happy; she always knew they were perfect for each other. "How did that happen?"

"Oh, it's a long story," Allison said. "And I can tell you all about it on Friday. We just have to change the mood from double date to friendly get together."

"I think it'll be kind of hard not to be a double date when there's, well, two couples hanging out," Lydia said, stabbing her salad with her fork.

"But you'll be there and we'll behave. I promise."

"Whatever it is, I promise too," Scott said, placing his tray on the table and sitting beside Allison.

"I can't promise anything." Stiles sat beside Malia, kissed her cheek and put a arm around her. "What are you guys promising?"

"I trying to convince Lydia to go out with us on Friday," Allison said. "So we gotta make sure it won't be romantic at all."

"In other words, we can't make out," Malia told her boyfriend, earning an arched eyebrow from Allison.

"Still can't promise anything," Stiles said, leaning in and giving a solid kiss on his girlfriend's lips. The blond #snickered and kissed her back. Lydia watched the two with curiosity, a little bit of chock and... something else. She was definitely not used to seeing Stiles act that way around a girl. She felt a sharp pain on her hand and noticed her plastic fork had broken and #furado her. She hadn't realised she was holding it so tightly.

Scott threw a napkin ball at the couple.

"Stop that," he said, and threw another one when Stiles started protesting.

"So, Lydia, are you coming?" Allison asked. Lydia bit her lip, still debating with herself. The brunette joined her hands, pouting. "Please?"

Lydia sighed.

"Okay, I'm coming," she decided, laughing when Allison let out a small high pitched scream and hugged her. 


	4. Not Like Before

Lydia always liked to go to school. All the new information she got fascinated her and her easiness to learn had made her the top of her class in every grade. Her grades were always high and she was always proud of her genius status. For her, the school building was her personal castle: she reigned on the classrooms and on the hallways. But since she moved to Beacon Hills, her will to go to school had gotten way smaller. Almost inexistent.

For most teenagers, the problem with schools are the classes, not the school itself. The place is still where you get to meet your friends every day, where the best stories are shared, where the best moments are remembered. Lydia didn't have that anymore. She couldn't join her friends and laugh at the silly stories and at the memories of the funniest moments; she wasn't in any of those memories and stories, and it bothered her.

Lydia didn't feel like she was part of the pack anymore, not at all.

The days she had spent in Beacon Hills so far were not enough to convince her everything could come back to normal; on the contrary, every day she became surer that things could never come back to the way they were. She could try and laugh with them, join the conversation, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she had missed half of the movie. She could try to keep up with them, but she would never know the full story. She had missed too much of it.

Friday morning, Lydia sat down and dropped her head on the kitchen table, letting out a long sigh. Monica, who was laying mugs on the table laughed shortly at her niece's mood.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked. The girl lifted her head high enough to send her a dead look. Monica and Lydia had become sort of friends since she moved in. They used to be really close when the girl was younger, but, just like what happened to her friends, they had lost touch when she went to New York. They were family, but it was all about living together.

Monica and Natalie were two completely different people. While Lydia's mother was always worried about her image to everyone around her, always keeping her perfect posture, her chin up and her spot on the high society, Monica lived a lighter life, even as a nurse, she didn't waste opportunities to have real fun or to go on an adventure. Her house was where Lydia ran to when her mom started to drive her crazy, and a few days after she moved there, the girl remembered why they were so close. Monica was always willing to sit and talk about anything, and if Lydia ever needed advice, she always knew where she could get a few good ones.

"How are your friends?" Monica asked as an attempt to start a conversation. Lydia sighed, carving half moons with her nails in an apple.

"Fine, I guess, "she answered with a low voice.

"Lydia, what is going on?" Her aunt placed her elbows on the table and looked at her.

"Nothing is going on…"

"Lydia."

The strawberry blonde sighed one more time and lifted her eyes. What was the point of pretending everything was fine? She had spent the whole week pretending, she was tired of lying. She could be fooling everyone around her, but that didn't solve the problem itself. And Monica wasn't faking her interest, she was actually concerned and interested, and maybe that was all the girl needed to get everything off her chest.

"I don't know if we're friends anymore. Not like we were before," she started. "I mean, they did take me back, but I don't… I feel like I'm part of the group anymore, you know? Even when we're together I feel like I'm a mile away and I hate this feeling."

Monica nodded, listening carefully. Lydia sat straighter on the chair, already feeling better as the words gushed from her mouth.

"And they act like I never left! It's almost like I spent a weekend away, not seven years. You can't just ignore all the time we spent apart and act like everything's still the same. I can't fucking do this. I've changed during these years, and they have changed too, everybody does. Then why pretend that we're still the same? They should see that the pack is never gonna be back together. I mean, okay, it probably never stopped being a thing, but they should see I'm not a part of it anymore. And now I have to go to this friendly dinner and pretend that I'm like having a good time and… ugh, I'm so tired of this."

Lydia stopped talking to catch her breath. She felt so good she actually asked herself why she didn't do it before, open up like this. But the feeling suddenly evaporated, and she felt like the worst person in the world. Talking like this about the people who took her in without even hesitating was a wrong and ungrateful move and she wished she had never opened her mouth. Lydia moaned in frustration, burying her fingers in her hair.

"I'm sorry I'm being a bitch, I should be saying these things…"

"Lydia." Monica placed her hand on her nieces arm so she would look at her. "Don't apologize for saying what's in your head. It's not your fault you feel like this. I think Scott, Allison, Stiles and you became friends for a series of reasons, and you just have to be patient to remember what those are. Then you can start over, you know, build a new friendship with your old friends. Got it?"

Lydia nodded, giving her a weak smile. Her mother would never say that to her; she would just tell her to learn how to deal with it. Monica was the living proof that every teenagers needed an adult to tell them the wise words. And she didn't have to fill the girl's heads with famous quotes from old books, poems or anything like that. She just had to listen, and understand.


	5. You Went Away

Lydia laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She had less than an hour until Allison and Scott showed up to take her to dinner, and she still wasn't sure whether or not she should go, because she was still trying to come up with a polite way to decline the invitation. Maybe she could make something up, fake a stomach ache or say she had to study.

A light knock on the door pulled her out of her plan making.

"Come in!" she said. Monica entered the room and frowned upon seeing her niece still wearing the large comfortable clothes she wore at home.

"You know your friends are going to be here anytime now, right?"

"I wouldn't say 'anytime'. They say they'd be here by six. And relax, I still have about twenty minutes to start worrying about this," Lydia said, stretching her body.

Monica checked the watch on her wrist and frowned, because it was ten past five and the girl didn't look like she was going anywhere anytime soon.

"Well, can you get ready in half an hour?"

"You'd be surprised," she answered. The woman raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms on her chest.

"And what are planning to do during your twenty minutes?"

Lydia sighed.

"Decide if I'm going."

"Lydia, I thought you had made up your mind this," Monica said, sitting on the bed.

"I know, I did say I was going." She pushed her body to a sitting position and ran her hand through her messy hair. "But then I stopped and really thought about it… I'm just not sure if it's going to be fun at all. Actually, I think it's gonna suck."

"You don't know that. I mean, come on, give your friends a chance. And if it does suck, well, at least you got to eat something better than my cooking."

Lydia sighed again. She couldn't cancel now just because she had a feeling things were not going to go so great. Allison hadn't stopped talking about that night since they settled everything, and she couldn't let her friend down like that.

"You still have ten minutes of your 'decision-making break'. I suggest you use those minutes by starting to get ready now."

"You really don't thing I can get ready in half an hour?"

Monica just laughed shortly, kissed the top of her niece's head, got up and left the room, closing the door behind her. Lydia jumped out of the bed before she changed her mind, grabbed her towel and went to the bathroom. After the shower she dried herself and dressed her fluffy robe and went back to her room. Most of her time would be dedicated to choosing her outfit. She didn't know the restaurant they were going, she didn't know if she went with a classy or casual look. That doubt mixed with the nervousness she felt in her stomach and soon her bed was covered with thrown clothes. She ended up picking up a leather skirt, a light sweater and her ankle boots.

She grabbed her purse and went downstairs. She drank a glass of water as she waited, and a few minutes later, Allison parked her car in front of the girl's house. Lydia yelled 'see you later!' to her aunt, who yelled back wishing her good luck. She took a deep breath and walked out the door, going to the car.

"Hey, guys," she said, sitting on the back seat of the car and closing the door. Allison and Scott greeted her, both sounding very excited. The brunette begun talking to Lydia about the place they were going, a diner inspired by the fifties, where Scott and she went on their first real date. During the ride to the diner, she told Lydia how everything almost went wrong, and the boy added the details she forgot. Lydia's cheeks hurt from laughing so hard, and she celebrated when the night ended with a kiss goodnight.

 _Maybe the night won't go that bad after all_ , she thought.

Allison parked in front of the diner and they went inside. Malia and Stiles had already arrived and were sitting in one of the booths. Stiles had one arm around his girlfriend and they were kissing. Lydia wrinkled her nose as her cheeks got hot, and she looked away while Allison announced their arrival, interrupting the couple.

"This is not a date, change your seats," she demanded. Malia scoffed and rolled her eyes as she got up and took her place on the other couch, across the table from Stiles. Allison sat beside the blonde, pulling Lydia with her. Scott sat beside Stiles, who put his arm around the boy's shoulder.

"They have no clue that we're the true couple here," Stiles said, earning a fake chocked expression from Scott.

"Dude, what happens in the locker room stays in the locker room."

"One day I'll show up there, unannounced," Allison said. "And with a camera."

"We won't take any responsibility for any damage it may cause," Stiles said, raising his hands.

Lydia laughed loudly at their little banter. The light and casual mood of the table made her believe that the night had everything to be awesome, and she usually didn't like to be proven wrong, but she was glad it happened this time. Since the reunion started she had already laughed harder than she had for a long time. And they weren't the short and dry giggles she distributed to her friends in New York; no, they were laughs that made her cheeks and belly hurt, that brought tears to her eyes and left her out of breath. It was exactly what Lydia needed.

The waitress came to take their orders, and they asked for burgers, fries and milkshakes. Lydia usually didn't eat that kind of food, but she didn't mind that time because it was a celebration. She was celebrating because she was wrong, and that never happened before.

The conversation continued as they waited for the food. Like Allison had promised, there was nothing romantic about that dinner, but when you're dating someone, it's hard not to be a couple for one night. Lydia couldn't' help but notice Malia playing with Stiles' fingers over the table, or the way he looked at her, like he could take her by the hand and run away. It bothered Lydia and she didn't know why, but the fact that they were obviously in love made her nervous. She also didn't mind Scott and Allison leaning in and touching each other, but Lydia convinced herself it was because they could really keep it to themselves. Stiles and Malia... Lydia didn't seem to be able to just ignore them.

When the food came, Lydia focused on the most caloric meal she'd had in years. She was almost relieved when everyone did the same, because she was getting sick of all the romantic glances and heart eyes. So, as they ate, she relaxed again, and laughed with her friends at the way Stiles attacked his food making a mess on his tray, just like when he was a kid.

"Remember when we were having ice cream and Stiles almost ate half of the spoon?" Allison commented.

"In my defense, those plastic spoons are way too fragile and a danger for..."

"Those who can't eat like normal human beings," Malia completed his sentence, raising her hands as his boyfriend sent her a betrayed look.

"He tried to convince the owner that he deserved a lifetime of free ice cream because of his near death experience," Allison told Lydia.

"I could have died!" Stiles kept trying to defend himself.

Lydia laughed.

"Okay, don't tell me you ended up in a hospital chocking on a plastic spoon," she said.

Stiles raised a finger.

"For the record, I'm sure hundreds of people go through the same thing every year, so you should not be making fun of it," he lectured. "But Malia saved me."

Lydia arched her eyebrows to the blonde, who shrugged.

"I just squeezed him until the thing came off."

"And then he ended up in the hospital with a fractured rib," Scott added, and Lydia almost chocked with her milkshake, and covered her mouth as she laughed.

"Very funny," Stiles mumbled. "Let's talk about the time where Scott was chased by the whole canine population of Beacon Hills."

"You what?!" Lydia almost yelled.

"I didn't know Bella was in heat!" Scott defended himself.

"Oh my god, Lydia, you should have seen it ," Allison said, wiping a tear from her eye. "He was running around with all the dogs in the neighborhood after him."

"I have this video on my laptop," Stiles said, looking proud of himself.

"There's a video?"

"Of course there is, I recorded it myself." He smiled sweetly at the angry look he got from his friend.

"Son of a bitch."

"Hey," Malia cut in, pointing at Scott with a french fry. "You still have the photos of when Stiles went to school dressed as Elsa."

"Why...?" Lydia began to ask.

"We lost a bet," Allison clarified. "I had to go dressed as Captain America."

"Yeah, but you looked _good_ dressed as Captain America," accused Stiles. "And you didn't become the profile picture of everyone in school. It was not fair."

"It was one of the best days of the year," Scott said, taking a sip of his milkshake. "You should have seen it, Lydia."

Lydia also should have noticed that, from that moment, the night wouldn't be so fun anymore.

The four of them kept remembering the most embarrassing moments of the past years, but Lydia would think they were way funnier if they didn't come with a "You should have seen it" in the middle. The girl tried to ignore it and just laugh at the hilarious memories, until she couldn't do it anymore. Lydia knew they were not doing it to upset her in any way, but she couldn't help feeling like she was an intruder. None of those storied belong to her, she wasn't part of the best memories and her friends were making it very clear.

The worst part was that she would've given anything to be on those stories. She would've done anything to stop feeling that way, to be part of the pack again. But all she could do was sit in that booth and listen to all the epic moments they had lived without her.

"I thought I was going to lose my leg," Allison laughed. "Seriously, Lydia, you should have..."

"Seen it, yeah, I know," Lydia interrupted her because she couldn't take it anymore. "Like I should've seen Scott playing lacrosse drunk, or Malia almost get into a fist fight with a guy. I'm well aware of all the things I _should have seen_ , thank you very much."

Her serious tone, that obviously didn't match the rest of the conversation, made all the laugher on the table die almost immediately. Lydia stared at her empty milkshake cup and forced herself not to cry. The rest of them exchanged worried looks.

"Lydia, we didn't mean to..." Scott had begun to say, but she interrupted him too, not wanting to extend that moment any longer.

"No, it's okay, really. I can't keep you from reminiscing the all fun times and stuff, I just..." Lydia sighed and wet her lips, still fighting the tears that burned in her eyes. "Those are your stories and it's okay if I'm not in any of them. I know that. You don't have to remind me."

"Lydia..."

"It's okay, I'll just go." Lydia grabbed her bag and got up. "I'm sorry, I can't. Can't do this."

She walked out of the diner with large steps, leaving her stunned friends behind. On the outside, she took a few deep breaths to calm down. To ride from her house to that place wasn't too long, so she decided to walk back home. She hugged herself and started to walk.

"Lydia, wait!" The girl considered to keep walking and ignore him, but she sighed and turned around, surprised when she saw Stiles running in her direction. He slowed down and stopped a few steps away from her, looking at her with sorry written all over his face. "Lydia, come on, it wasn't our intention to..."

"I know it wasn't. I know that. It's just..." She stopped talking and pressed her lips together. _It's not your fault you feel like this_ , she played her aunt's words in her head. Stiles looked at her with a mix of worry and curiosity in his eyes.

"What?" He asked.

Lydia took another deep breath.

"It's just that you don't seem to notice that time has passed. Or at least you're pretending it didn't. And this is not a game, you can't press pause and then resume it and pick up where you left off. That's not how it works! Things do change, Stiles, time passes..."

"Wait, what the hell are you talking about?" He interrupted her, furrowing his brow. Lydia ran her hands through her hair, frustrated.

"The pack doesn't exist anymore!" She almost yelled at him. "If it does, well, I'm not part of it anymore. You guys lived a life without me, and I lived one without you, 'cause that's how distance fucking _works_! And do you really thing friendship survives that long?"

"Are you kidding me, of course I do..."

"Stop being so naive, Stiles! Why keep pretending that our friendship is still the same? What good comes from it? Do you know how I felt in there? An intruder, a fucking spy or something. Someone who shouldn't even be there, listening to all that, and you guys made it pretty clear that I _should have seen_ a lot of things. Well, guess what, I didn't see a goddamn thing because I was too busy living in another state. And rubbing on my face all those suuuper important moments I've missed does not make me feel welcome, if that's what you were thinking!"

Lydia's last words echoed in the street, catching the attention of the few people around them as she recovered her breath. She hadn't planned on yelling at him, but she couldn't control how the words left her chest. Stiles didn't look at her; he kept his eyes on a distant spot, waiting for her to finish.

"So this is all our fault?" He asked with a surprisingly controlled voice. Lydia sighed and closed her eyes for a second.

"No, I'm just saying that..."

"You went away, Lydia," Stiles said, finally looking at her. The anger in his always so kind eyes made her wish she hadn't said a single word. "You left, and fine, you have no option. We missed you, Lydia, I missed you, so fucking much. But then you vanished. You changed your number, stopped responding our emails. You were just _gone_. And do you know how it feels? To lose someone and know they're out there, doing everything they can to forget about you, to get you out of their life? No? Well, I know, it's fucking horrible.

"Maybe what you're feeling is guilt," he continued with the same unwavering tone of voice, and Lydia would rather have him yelling at her. "You choose to leave the pack. You choose to leave us. Maybe you did it because it was easier. I can't blame you for moving on, I did it too. And, okay, maybe our friendship is not the same after all these years but damn it, Lydia, don't you know how important you are to us? How much the pack is important?"

Lydia didn't bother to keep her tears from falling. His words felt like slaps across her face, they hurt in a way she didn't know it was possible. They hurt so much because he was right. That was the ugly truth she didn't want to face: she had turned her back to her friends. And having Stiles, who always was the one that cracked jokes to lighten the mood, telling her that was even worse, like she committed a crime. Lydia was hit by a wave of sadness and utter embarrassment.

His expression got softer when he saw her crying and he stepped closer, hating to see her like that.

"We're not pretending nothing changed. We just want things to go back to the way they were," he finished, lowering his voice.

Lydia kept her eyes on the ground. She didn't want his pity nor his sympathy, not when she was the villain. She knew Stiles would try to make her feel better, and she didn't deserve that.

"Lydia," he called softly, putting a hand on her arm. She stepped back and crossed her arms on her chest.

"I gotta go," she murmured with a #raspy voice.

Stiles sighed.

"Okay, I can drive you..."

"You don't have to, I'll walk."

"Lydia..."

"I'll walk," she repeated and Stiles let out a frustrated sigh because he knew there was not much he could do as she turned her back to him and resumed her walk. 


	6. It Can Wait Until Tomorrow

The two days after the dinner definitely made it to list of Worst Weekends of Lydia Martin, and they made it to the very top.

After she got home on Friday night, cried in the shower and under the covers until she fell asleep, Lydia decided she wasn't going to leave her bed anytime soon. She wanted to sleep until she was old enough to forget about that night, but every time she closed her eyes she was the harsh expression on Stiles' face and his words kept playing in her head.

"Maybe _what you're feeling is guilt_." He was totally right. Lydia had been too involved on her own misery to realize she was the one who caused all the damage. She had cut off her friends from her life because she was selfish, because it was easier to start over in a new city when there was nothing holding her back. Lydia didn't think of the pack, she didn't look back, and in return, they welcome her back with open arms. And she didn't deserve that kind of treatment, she didn't deserve the smiles, the hugs of her old friends back. Maybe that was why she had been against their decision to just welcome back on board without hesitating, because she knew she didn't deserve it, but even so, she blamed them. If that didn't make her a terrible human being, Lydia didn't what did.

Grunting, she put a pillow over her head. She wished she could turn off her mind for just a minute so she could breathe. She wished she could grab herself by the shoulders and scream at her face, then go back in time and fix everything. Lydia was almost certain that, in her seventeen years of life, she had never gotten so disgusted and disappointed at own self.

Nighttime came, then the sun went back up again and Lydia didn't leave her bed. Monica knocked lightly on the door and entered the room holding a breakfast tray with some food, worried about her niece who hadn't eaten anything for hours.

"I can't eat," Lydia murmured with a raspy voice. Monica sighed and settled the tray on the desk, then sat on the bed.

"But can you tell me what happened at dinner?" She asked softly.

Lydia took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes.

"I screwed up, big time. I just..." She shook her head. Lydia looked at Monica, who waited patiently for her to gather her thoughts, and decided to tell the story from the beginning. When she finished it, her green eyes were filled with tears, and she sniffed.

"Oh, Lydia..." Monica murmured when the girl finished talking, and went to sit beside her. The woman pulled her niece into her arms and stroked her hair as the girl started crying again. Monica waited until Lydia's sobs began to stop, and held her until she calmed down.

"I have to fix this... I have to..." Lydia tried to say as she sat up, wiping the tears from her face.

"It can wait until tomorrow," Monica said. "Right now, all you need to do is eat something, okay?"

Lydia nodded weakly and Monica got up, grabbed the tray and placed it on the bed in front of the girl. Lydia picked up the glass of orange juice and took a sip, looking at her aunt with gratitude.

"Things will get better," Monica said, smiling, and all Lydia could do was hope she was right.

Xxxx

On Monday morning, Lydia had a plan. She had turned her phone off after spending hours trying to type the perfect apology text, until she decided that wasn't the best way to handle the mess she had done. She had to fix it personally, show how sorry she was.

The anxiety to face her friends kept her awake almost all night; she gave up to the tiredness less the three hours before her alarm went off, which made it way harder to leave her bed. Lydia took the quickest shower in history and ended up dressing an uncharacteristic simple look, blue jeans and a white T-shirt. She ran a comb through her hair and did the best she could on trying to hide the dark half circles under her eyes, which were still there after some layers of makeup. She put on her ankle boots, grabbed her bag and left her room.

On the kitchen table, Monica had left her car keys and a note asking Lydia to go pick her up at the hospital at night. The girl grabbed an apple and rushed to the car. She drove on the speed limit and parked the car just in time to hear the bell announcing the beginning of the first period. Lydia ran to her classroom, hoping she wouldn't be too late, and collapsed on a chair in the back. Her eyes scanned the room as she caught her breath, though she knew she didn't share that class with any of her friends.

Focusing on the lecture was a hard task. Math was one of her favorite subject, but the complicated and inviting equations written on the board were not enough to take her mind away from the huge problem she already had to solve. Her hand took notes absentmindly as eyes kept checking the clock on the wall. The minutes insisted to pass at a normal speed, apparently even slower.

When the bell rang, Lydia was the first to leave her seat. She had a few minutes before her next class, maybe enough time to hunt someone from her pack. She walked down the hall with large steps until she reached her locker, where she stashed her bag and grabbed the book she needed for the next period, then she closed it with a loud bang and resumed her walk.

"Lydia!" Somebody called her, and she turned around so fast she almost lost her balance. Lydia got disappointed when she saw a guy she didn't know walking in her direction. "You're Lydia Martin, right?"

"Ahn, yeah..." she answered vaguely as she kept trying to find a friendly face on the now crowded hallway. Maybe they were avoiding her? Lydia knew they had a hell of a good reason to not want her back in the pack, but she at least had to say how sorry she was. Lydia had survived a ridiculously depressing weekend, left her house looking like a zombie with makeup and almost missed her first period; she _needed_ a chance to apologize.

"Hum, Lydia?" The guy spoke again, and she realized he had been speaking to her while she was stuck in her own thoughts.

"I'm sorry, what?" She blinked and actually focused on him for the first time. He let out a small laugh, finding her distraction funny. Ha was tall, handsome, and had an attractive smile; Lydia didn't know him, but if she wasn't in such a hurry (or feeling so poorly dressed), she would use that opportunity to put her charm to work.

"You forgot this book under your seat," he said, handing her a Biology book. "It was on Friday, and I don't have your number, so I just took it home with me."

"Oh... Thank you," she said, taking the book from his hands. "I hadn't noticed."

The guy opened his mouth to say something, but that was when Lydia spotted a figure with messy dark hair and wearing a plaid flannel, heading to his classroom. She didn't need to get closer to know who that was.

"I gotta go. Thanks again," she said hurriedly and bolted before he could reply. "Stiles!" Lydia called, walking towards him as fast as she could in the crowded hallway. "Stiles!"

The boy frowned and turned on his heels when he heard his name. His heart raced when he saw Lydia walking in his direction, because she was the person he wanted to see the most.

Stiles hadn't stopped thinking about their argument not even for a minute. He felt like an idiot for not noticing how uncomfortable she was at the dinner, which was weird, because paying attention to Lydia was something he was an expert at, and he usually did without even noticing. He was still getting used to not being in love with her, but he had to admit it didn't feel that bad. It was a weird kind of freedom, but it was definitely welcome. Even so, his first reaction to seeing Lydia getting up and leaving the table was to go after her. She was still her friend, and Stiles cared too much to just let her go, so he had asked the others to wait and ran outside. He had seen in her eyes that something was wrong, and he wanted to know what it was, he wanted to fix it.

Her words had been hard to hear because she had no idea. She had no idea that years ago Stiles had sworn he would do anything to make her come back home. She had no idea of the hole she had left in his life, and how much it hurt to have his heart completely smashed at such a young age. Stiles knew it hadn't been easy on his friends either. Lydia had been missed, and it had taken him and his friends a long time to get used to her absence. So Stiles wasn't able to hold back; she had to know. She had to know how hard it was, and what her return meant to them. But he never meant to make her cry, no, that was the last thing he wanted. His anger had dissipated the moment he saw the tears glow in her green eyes, and suddenly he had to make her feel better, because that felt like a basic instinct for him.

When Lydia had turned his back to him and begun to walk away, he had decided to let her go. Later, as he told his friends about what had happened, he has started to feel his chest tightening with regret. Stiles wished he had picked better words, made her come back inside the diner and have a calmer conversation. So he felt like an idiot, a complete and utter _idiot_.

"Lydia, I..."

"Stiles..." she began saying at the same time, as soon as they were face to face. Stiles opened his mouth to speak, but she raised a finger to silence him. "No, you have to listen to me first, Stiles..."

"I'm so sorry," he interrupted her anyway. Lydia frowned.

"What? No..."

"I shouldn't have said those things. It was rude and I was an asshole and I'm really sorry. I tried to call you all weekend but you..."

"Wait, hold on," she said, closing her eyes for a second and shaking her head, confused. "This is not right."

This time Stiles was the one who frowned.

"What do you mean, I'm-"

"You're not supposed to be apologizing to me, are you insane?"

"Ahn?"

"You didn't do anything wrong, Stiles." Lydia licked her lips and sighed. "You shouldn't be apologizing because everything you said was true. This is all my fault. I pushed you guys away... it would make my life easier in New York. It hurt too much to even think about all the things I had left behind, and I thought I needed a clean sheet to start again. I was a selfish bitch, I know that."

"Lydia..." he murmured, not knowing exactly what to say, but also hating the sadness on her face and the tears forming in her eyes. "It's okay."

"No, none of this is okay." Lydia sniffed and wiped off the tears before they could fall; she was not planning on crying in the middle of the hallway. "I was ungrateful and selfish and I shouldn't have acted that way. And I... I need to say I'm sorry, Stiles. I'm so, so sorry. I hope you can forgive me."

Stiles put his hands on her shoulders and smiled lightly.

"For me, that night never happened," he said, and Lydia couldn't help but let out a weak laugh. He pulled her closer and hugged her. Lydia buried her face on his chest, taking a deep breath. The heat from his body and the smell of his clothes seemed to be exactly what she needed to feel better. Stiles had that kind of power. When they were younger, he was the one who was always there to hold her hand in the worst moments. He'd make her laugh and made her believe everything would be fine. Stiles felt like a safe place for her.

"We were worried about you," he said when they broke apart. "You weren't answering your phone."

"Yeah, I turned it off," she said, remembering when she had thrown the device in her bag with frustration and hadn't even looked at it ever since. "Does that mean you guys don't hate me?"

Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Okay, let's forget you asked that. No one is mad at you, Lydia," he said. "Actually, Malia was a little mad, but just because you didn't help pay the check."

Lydia laughed, feeling a large weight lifting from her shoulders. Once again, things didn't go the way she expected, and that was the best thing it could've happened. She was so relieved she could float away. And even though she believed Stiles, she told herself she still had to apologize to the rest of the pack. At least she knew what to expect.

The bell rang and Stiles groaned.

"I can't believe it's Monday," he grumbled, adjusting his backpack on his shoulders. "I'll see you later."

"Okay," she replied, smiling. Lydia turned around and went to her classroom, happy she had gotten a better day than one from the list of Worst Mondays of Lydia Martin. 


	7. A Game She Loved To Play

Lydia placed her tray on the table, sat down and jabbed a small tomato with her fork. While she chewed, the other three teenagers at the table watched her expectantly, waiting for her to drop the news.

"So, how was it?" Scott asked, raising his eyebrows. Lydia shrugged and swallowed calmly.

"Exactly as I said it would be," she replied. "The test as too easy, you almost made me believe it would be horrible. It was pretty boring, actually."

With the end of the suspense, the three of them leaned back on their chairs.

"I think you're the only one who didn't flatline during this test," Allison said. "Maybe Ms. Banner went easy on you 'cause you just got here."

"Banner wouldn't go easy even if Jesus came down to take that stupid test," Stiles said, grabbing a french fry and pointing it at the redhead. "You know what kind of people do well in that kind of test? Geniuses. We know you're a genius, Lydia Martin."

Lydia just smiled and lowered her eyes to her salad, feeling her cheeks get hot. During the few months of class she had missed before she moved to Beacon Hills, Lydia had missed some tests. One of them was Ms. Banner's, the feared Chemistry teacher. The girl had gotten the news about the dates of her rescheduled tests the same week she arrived, and except for the weekend she wasted laying on her bed, she only had four days to study. Lydia loved Chemistry, and with her advanced talent and high IQ, the test wasn't a big challenge.

Malia came marching towards them, dropped her backpack on the floor and collapsed on the chair, putting her elbows on the table and burying her hands on her blonde hair. The other four looked at each other, silently debating who should speak first. Stiles obviously lost the discussion and placed a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder.

"Hey, how was the..." he began asking, but Malia suddenly lifted her head, making him jump.

"Fucking terrible!" She answered, her eyes wide with anger. "I didn't know the answers, I couldn't even understanding what they were asking!"

"Well, you studied a lot, I'm sure..."

"Two weeks!" She exclaimed, attacking his fries. Stiles watched her eat them as if it caused him physical pain. "Two weeks studying like a freaking maniac, just to go to that stupid, impossible test and not understand a thing! How can this happen? It doesn't make any sense!"

"Maybe you didn't go that bad," Allison reasoned with her, sending a serious look at Stiles, who immediately stopped trying to push his fries away from his girlfriend. "Your goal was to get at least a C, right?"

"Oh yeah, but I definitely got an A," Malia said, earning confused looks from her friends. She shrugged. "Lydia gave me the answers."

Lydia, who heard the conversation in silence, also shrugged when her friends looked at her with raised eyebrows. Malia also had to have her test rescheduled because she had gotten sick (or had a bad reaction to her nervousness), that was why they were sitting in the same classroom. They had sat next to each other, and the moment she saw the blonde's struggle, Lydia didn't hesitate before helping her. It was something she'd done before for her friends, and she was smart enough not to get caught.

"You could have said that before you ate all my fries," Stiles complained, moving his lunch away from his girlfriend. Malia giggled and kissed him on the cheek.

Lydia pressed her lips together and looked away, letting her green eyes wander around the cafeteria until she found two blue ones eyeing her with interest. She recognized the owner as the guy who had returner her book to her. He smiled, raising his hand for a small wave. The corner of Lydia's lips curved upwards, and she returned her attention to her friends, well aware that she had left him expecting more.

Xxxx

"You don't recognize me, do you?"

Lydia jump in surprise and looked behind her, to where the voice had come from, and there was the same guy from the cafeteria, leaning his body on his desk so that his mouth would be closer to her ear.

"What?" She asked, watching him as he left his desk and sat in an empty one beside her, careful not to draw the teacher's attention to him.

"When I gave you your book," he explained. "You didn't recognize me."

"Hm, no, sorry." Her eyes studied the boy beside her. Broad shoulders and muscular arms, a charming and perfect teeth smile, gorgeous baby blue eyes and carefully messy dark blonde hair. If she'd already met him, Lydia was sure she would remember. Absolutely sure.

He let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, you have no idea who I am," he said, and offered his hand. "Theo Reaken, we went to middle school together."

Lydia shook his hand, now looking at him more attentively. His name wasn't new for her, but couldn't remember seeing his face before.

"I'm sorry, I don't... Oh, wait!" She widened her eyes as she remembered: Theo Reaken, the short chubby kid that sat beside her when they were little. They never became actual friends, but they were good classmates, mainly because they shared the same interest in math and science. "Yeah, I remember you! We went together ask the teacher for more homework."

"Yup, that's me." He laughed. "Not that interested in homework anymore, though."

Lydia laughed with him.

"God, we were such nerds. The whole class must've hated us."

"Come on, it wasn't our fault they had no idea what organic chemistry meant," he said. "Actually, most of the time I was just trying to keep up with you. You were way smarter than me."

She flipped her hair over her shoulder with a small smile on her lips as she fixed her eyes on the teacher.

"Can't argue with that," she said, and he smiled.

They continued their conversation through the whole period. Lydia noticed when their talk shifted from friendly to flirty, and she didn't mind at all. She was used to that. Having guys at her feet, though it could be a big disadvantage of being popular, given all the things guys could do to catch her attention, most of the time was very useful when she was looking for fun. Boys were easy to conquer and willing to be used; Lydia always made it clear she wasn't looking for a relationship.

Lydia liked the flirting. She liked to see where the right words and the right touches could take them. It was a game she loved to play. And by the way Theo couldn't keep her eyes off her lips when she spoke, she knew she was winning. His blue eyes gained a dangerous glow that she adored, and she knew hers were doing the same thing. It was desire. How could she _not_ want a boy like him?

The bell rang, announcing the end of the conversation, and Lydia groaned internally. Reluctantly, she put her things in her bag and got up. Theo did the same and they left the classroom together. In the hallway, he turned his body to her and smiled again.

"So, I'll see you around," he said, and Lydia instantly knew that game wasn't even near its ending.

"See you around."

Xxxx

Stiles wasn't the one to hate people. But he did hate Theo Reaken.

Everything about that guy pissed him off: the superior attitude he carried around the hallways as he walked like he owned the school, the gross smile he gave people as manipulated and lied to them, the "womanizer" title he got from treating so many girls like garbage. Stiles' friends kept telling him he'd have to let go of all that hate eventually, but it was too personal to just let go. They knew it was personal, because they also didn't forget what Theo had done.

That's why Stiles' blood boiled in his veins when he saw Theo talking to Lydia.

His head was filled with a thousand different thoughts, but all of them disappeared the moment his eyes landed on the two of them. Lydia with her back against the lockers, Theo with one of his hands placed next to her head as he leaned in, their faces dangerously close. The worst part was that Stiles wasn't surprised that Theo apparently had made Lydia his next target. After all, she was new there, "fresh meat", like the jerk liked to say.

Stiles was disgusted and hateful, and had to use all his strength not to push Theo away from her. Also, he was pretty sure he would lose the fight, since Theo was twice as big as he was. But it was totally worth it to be punched a few times (and probably visit the hospital) if it meant that Theo would stay away from Lydia.

"Why are you standing in the middle of the hall?" Scott asked, stopping by his side. Stiles pointed his chin towards the two by the lockers, and the other boy understood immediately.

"Can you believe that guy?" Stiles questioned, gripping his backpack straps. Scott studied his face.

"You're thinking about doing something stupid, aren't you? I can tell."

"Hitting his head against the lockers wouldn't classify as something stupid," Stiles grunted. "It would be a big favor to society."

Theo raised his free hand and caressed Lydia's cheek. Stiles took a deep breath, feeling his self-control slipping through his finger.

"Or maybe I should just kill him," he murmured.

"Alright, let's take a walk," Scott said, putting his arm around his friend's shoulders and dragging him away from there. Once they stepped outside the building, Stiles pushed his arm away and sat on one of the wooden benches and put his elbows on his knees, lowering his head. "Look, man, I get what you're feeling, but you can't try to defend every girl from Theo..."

"The problem is that she's not just any girl," Stiles said, lifting his eyes to him. "It's Lydia. We can't let this guy get close to her, 'cause we know he will end up hurting her and... Hey, stop looking at me like that."

Scott raised his eyebrows, caught by surprise.

"Like what?"

"Like I should be careful with what I say," Stiles answered. "This isn't jealousy and I'm not in love with her, if that's what you're thinking."

"I wasn't thinking that you're..."

"Well, I'm not," he continued. "I just want that son of a bitch to stay the fuck away from the people I love. I'm looking after her, that's all."

Scott sighed and sat beside his friend.

"Dude, I can't forget what he did either. There was a time I couldn't even look at him without wanting to punch him in the face."

"Yeah, you and me both."

"But you know Lydia, she can take care of herself. She'll be fine."

"Malia also knows how to take care of herself and still..." Stiles took a deep breath and ran his hand across his face. "Okay, fine. But if anything happens, I mean if he does one single jerk move, I'll be the first to jump him."

Scott laughed.

"Right. Then I'll see you at the police station, or the hospital."

"You're not a man of faith, Scott," Stiles said, getting up.

"Well, you're not a man of muscles, Stiles," said the other boy. Stiles shrugged.

"True. It would be totally worth it, though. Plus, you'd have my back, right?"

"Always." Scott patted him on the shoulder and went to his motorcycle. Stiles went back inside the building, having yet to grab a book from his locker. Theo and Lydia were not there anymore, and he wondered if they had gone to a more private place or just left for their respective homes. Or maybe they could have gone home _together_. Maybe at that point they could be already... Stiles shook his head, because the hatred was coming back to boil his blood. He couldn't wait until Theo broke her heart, he had to do something before Lydia got hurt.

Stiles closed his locker and went to his Jeep. Alone, sitting on the worn out leather seat, he thought about what he was doing. He was willing to get into a lost fight to defend her, willing to get hurt to keep her safe. He would do the same for Malia, or Allison. He would do it for Scott. Friends defended friends, and Stiles took it very seriously, with no hesitation. So that was what he was doing for Lydia: defending her, because she was one of his best friends.

He just wanted to know why did it feel like he was trying to convince himself he was worrying like that just because she was his friend, not because he hated to see Lydia with another guy. 


	8. I Want A Distraction

Lydia's grandmother always used to say the had a scientists spirit. The girl never knew exactly from where her grandma got that kind of information, but she agreed completely. Since she was little, her favorite hobby was to learn new things, to find out the whys and hows. The euphoria that came with a new discovery was like a fuel to her restless brain, and that was the detail that would make her thrive in any career she chose to follow.

During the free time between classes, in a dark and empty classroom, Lydia made a discovery that definitely made her day a hundred times more satisfying: that Theo Reaken was a damn good kisser.

Lydia was well aware of the course of events that led them to that empty classroom: the exchanged looks, the murmured words, the short gap between their faces, that never touched. It was all part of the game and she, being the expert she was, knew exactly where it would take them. And when the pressure on her stomach, result of all the anticipation, became unbearable, when the heat and the tingling sensation on her skin started to drive her crazy, she knew she didn't want to play anymore. She wanted results. Fortunately, Theo didn't care about the end of their little game. On the contrary, he was more than willing end it.

Theo had lifted her off the floor so she could sit on the teacher's desk. Lydia had pulled him closer right away, making him stand between her parted legs and claiming his lips. It was a raw kiss, indelicate and even a little aggressive; they were driven by the desire that made the temperature of the room spike rapidly. Lydia had one of her hands buried in his short hair, and the other went from his neck, to his shoulder to his chest, scratching him. Theo held her by the waist, her fingers digging into her skin over the thin fabric of her dress. One of his hands went to the back of her neck, under her strawberry blonde curls, holding her head at an angle so he could deepen the kiss.

The fabric barrier between them had just started to be broken when the loud bell rang on the hallway. They groaned, impatient, unwillingly pulling apart.

"So, that was fun," Lydia said after she caught her breath. Theo let out a breathless laugh.

"We gotta do this more often," he agreed, and she smiled, biting her lip. "I'd love to stay, but I have gym class now, so..."

"And I have Literature," she said, hopping off the table and smoothing out her wrinkled dress. Lydia pulled out a small mirror from her bag and analyzed her face: smudged lipstick, swollen lips, messy hair. She put herself together the best way she could and hung her bag on her shoulder. "I think it's better if I leave first."

Theo frowned, but then Lydia pointed to a certain area of his pants and he immediately got it. The girl ran her hand through her hair one more time, and after blowing him a kiss and winking, she left the room. Lydia wanted to go unnoticed, but she had barely taken five steps when someone called her name.

"Hey, Lydia!" She turned on her heels and saw Stiles walking in her direction.

"Hey, what's up," she replied, trying to act naturally.

"Where have you been? Allison's looking for you."

"I was, ahn..." Before she could come up with an excuse, Theo stepped out of the classroom, with marks of a heavy make out session displayed all over his face. Stiles' eyes went from the girl in front of him to the other guy, and he didn't take long for him to understand what happened in that room.

"See you later, Lydia," Theo said, returning the wink and walking away.

A smile appeared on her lips with the promise of another kiss like that one, but it vanished the moment she turned her eyes back to Stiles. His jaw locked and an angry expression took over his face as he watched Theo disappeared down the hallways. Lydia instantly knew something was wrong, because she was not used to seeing Stiles like that.

"You and Theo Reaken, hun?" He said, his voice strangely emotionless. Lydia wet her lips.

"Ahn, yeah... I mean, it's nothing serious," she replied, becoming nervous because of his mood. "So, what did Allison..."

"Lydia." Stiles interrupted her, finally looking at her eyes. "You can't trust this guy."

"What do you mean...?"

"Theo is not a good person," he continued. "He might have said that he likes you and stuff, but all he wants is to..."

"Hold on." Lydia frowned, not understanding his point. "He never said that to me. Stiles, what's the problem?"

Stiles closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. That wasn't the way he had been planning to tell Lydia about Theo, but they were already there and he had to let her know.

"Theo only wants to take advantage of you," he said. "That's what he does, he chooses a girl and makes her feel special, but just until he loses interest and tosses her aside. He's using you, Lydia..."

"Oh, does it mean I'm his next victim?" She asked, arching her eyebrows. "It didn't occur to you that I can take care of myself?"

"Of course it did, but..."

"No, stop right there." Lydia raised a finger, shutting him up. "You seem to know very well what Theo is _doing_ to me, but let me tell you what _I'm_ doing to him. I don't want a boyfriend, I want a distraction. Theo is not using me any more than I'm using him."

Stiles blinked twice, taken back by her response.

"Ahn, okay..."

"And I'm just telling you that because you're my friend, Stiles," she continued. "Because if it were anyone else, I would simply say that I am very familiar with boys and that I have the right to hook up to whomever wants me too, 'cause I'm a single woman who owns her life and this is America. Got it?"

Stiles nodded vehemently, not wanting to upset her any more. He knew that each word she said was completely true, but his worries didn't go away.

"I'm gonna be late for class. See you later," she murmured and left before he could say something.

The boy took a deep breath and dragged his feet to the locker room. He didn't know how, or even if it was possible to make Lydia end whatever it was she had with Theo. Stiles knew she could take care of herself; Lydia always had been independent, and now she looked even stronger and more confident than before. But Stiles didn't trust Theo at all, he didn't know how far the guy was willing to go to get what he wanted. He didn't know if Theo would give up as soon as he realized Lydia would fall for his lies.

The locker room was crowded when he arrived. His classmates hurried to change their clothes and get to the field in time. Stiles dropped his gym back on one of the benches and sat down, sighing. He usually liked the gym classes, but he didn't feel like running around the field like a maniac. He was taking his clothes off his bag and he heard a laughter that, unfortunately, he recognized.

"Hey, Theo!" Stiles called before he could stop himself. He got up and faced the other boy, who was a few inches taller than him.

"Is there a problem, Stilinski?" Theo asked with mockery all over his face.

"Yes, several," he answered, stepping closer. "Your plan is not gonna work, Reaken. Not this time, not if I can help it."

"And what would that plan be? Care to explain?" Theo raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms on his chest, faking interest. Stiles balled his hands into fists, controlling himself not to punch the guy in the face.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about, you asshole," he hissed through his clenched teeth. "Stay away from Lydia or I swear to god..."

"What? What are you gonna do?Hit me?" Theo laughed as if it was too ridiculous to keep a serious tone. The laughter soon died, and he leaned in closer and murmured: "You're still mad at me, aren't you? Because I fucked your sweet girlfriend?"

Stiles lunged without thinking twice, but before he could plant his fist on Theo's face, something that his skin was now itching to do, his body was pulled back from behind.

"Stiles, have you lost your mind?" Scott yelled at him, holding his arms as he wrestled to free himself.

"I'll finish him, Scott, let go of me!" He yelled back. Theo looked like he was enjoying himself, and it only made Stiles hate him even more.

"Why aren't you ladies in the field yet?" Coach Finstock entered the locker room screaming at the guys. Stiles then realized the circle of people that had formed around them. Seeing that his friend had stopped fighting him, Scott let go of his arms. The coach's eyes went from Scott, to Stiles, then Theo, the three guys in the middle of the circle, but decided to ignore the fact that a fight had almost taken place there. "So? Get your asses on the field, now!"

The rest of the guys left the locker room with Finstock. Theo sneered at Stiles one last time before leaving too. When Stiles and Scott were left alone in the room, Stiles sat on the bench and rubbed his face with his hands.

"What were you thinking?" Scott asked. The other boy let out a long sigh.

"I wasn't," he answered. "It was instinct, I guess."

Scott arched his eyebrows. "Oh, instinct? Since when do you attack people by instinct?"

"Well, I don't attack people by instinct, I attacked Theo, and he doesn't classify as 'people'." Stiles quoted with his fingers. "It's not really my fault if my body was projected to act against assholes like him."

"Your body will be projected to detention if you don't control your instincts," Scott said and Stiles rolled his eyes, getting up and shoving his bag in one of the lockers. "I mean it, man."

Stiles sighed again as he changed his shirt.

"I told Lydia about him today," he said.

"And?"

"She didn't seem surprised. Actually, she wasn't even worried."

"See? I told you she was going to be fine. And we'll keep an eye on Theo," Scott said, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Now you better project your body to the field before Finstock shows up with a gun."

Stiles nodded and Scott left him alone in the locker room. Something told him that what happened moments before was far from being over, because he still wanted to make sure that Theo wouldn't get closer to Lydia, but also because he still wanted to know how it felt like to have the jerk's face against his fist.

Xxxx

"Can I know who's stealing all your attention?" Allison asked, arching his eyebrows to Lydia, who laid on the brunette's bed typing on her phone.

"Nobody," she answered, putting her phone away and facing her friend.

"So it's normal for you to smile at her phone for no reason?" asked Malia, who sat on the floor, painting her toenails and eating Cheetos at the same time.

Lydia smiled. She had loved Allison's idea to have a "girl's night" with just the three of them, to talk about everything and nothing in particular, eat junk food and try to follow ridiculously hard beauty tutorials. And, knowing that boys are a common topic at those nights, she had no doubt that eventually they would end up taking about Theo.

"Well, there's a boy..." Lydia started slowly, stretching the words as if she was telling a horror story by the bonfire. Her phone rang, announcing that she had gotten a new message, and she grabbed and resumed her typing.

"Yeah, we know there's a boy, it's _obvious_ there's a boy, we want details!" Allison demanded, poking the strawberry blonde in the ribs.

Lydia laughed and sat on her legs. "It's nothing serious. We're just getting to know each other. And making out," she said. "He's hot."

"Do we know him?"

"Hm, yes. I think you and Theo are in the same English class."

Malia turned her head to Lydia the moment she heard his name.

"Theo Reaken?" She asked.

"Yes, that's him," Lydia answered. Malia and Allison exchanged serious looks and for the second time that day Lydia knew something was wrong. "What is it?"

"Theo is not... very nice," Allison said cautiously.

"Oh, not you too!" Lydia complained, rolling her eyes. "Stiles already told me that Theo's not a good person, that he only wants to use me and all that crap."

Malia and Allison exchanged looks again.

"Okay, story time," said the blonde, screwing the lid back on the nail polish, getting up and sitting beside Lydia on the bed. "I moved to Beacon Hills last year and obviously I didn't know anyone. Theo was the first person to engage a conversation with me, in the first week of school. He was really nice, and funny and handsome... It was practically impossible not to like him. He made me believe that he really liked me, and I even thought I could actually fall for him."

"I was so stupid. I let him fool me into thinking that what we had was serious. Then we had sex," she continued. "I know it was too early in the relationship, but I didn't care. I liked him and he liked me, so what was the problem?"

Malia let out a short and dry laugh, her brown eyes shining with anger.

"We were together for a couple weeks after that. Then one day he came to me and said we were done. Just like that. He said he didn't want me anymore. I asked why, and you know what he said to me?" Lydia, who heard the story attentionally, shook her head. "Theo said he only took an interest in me because I was fresh meat."

Lydia's green eyes went wide. She never imagined Theo saying or doing something like that, but Malia couldn't be making up that story.

"He tried to approach me too," Allison added. "It was before Scott and I started dating, but I was already friends with Malia."

"I... don't know what to say." Lydia blinked. "Malia, I'm so sorry."

The blonde shrugged. "Nah, it was a long time ago. I met a better guy after that. But you need to be careful with Theo, Lydia. Don't let it get too far."

"Alright." Lydia changed her position on the bed, reaching out for the bag of gummy bears beside Allison. "But you know what? I'll have some fun with him first. I'm not looking for anything serious, anyway. Theo's fresh meat for me, too."

"Sing it," agreed Allison, shoving a handful of Cheetos into her mouth. "Maybe the tables will turn."

"Oh my god, do you think you can make him cry?" Malia asked. "That would be so cool."

"I don't know, I can try," Lydia said, smiling. 


	9. You're Jealous

Lydia was well aware that all the eyes around the table were focused on her, but she decided to carefully roll her spaghetti on her fork, put it in her mouth and enjoy it before worrying about what was on her friends' mind.

"Okay, what is it?" She finally asked, arching her eyebrows to them. Scott had an astonished expression as he stared at her, like Lydia had a complicated equation written on her forehead. Malia and Allison exchanged looks and restrained smiles. Stiles just put the straw of his soda between his lips and looked away.

"What happened to you?" Scott asked, sounding genuinely worried.

"What do you mean?" She frowned, confused. Allison let out a short laugh, leaning in to eat her own spaghetti. When Lydia finally got it, she started looking for the small mirror she kept in her bag. Her reflection showed exactly what she expected, and feared: her pink lipstick were all over her face, except for her mouth, and her strawberry blonde hair was a complete mess, as if she had gone through a hurricane to get to the cafeteria. "Shit."

"So, you and Theo, hun?" Asked Malia, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Yeah, we call this our lunch time quickie," Lydia said, wiping her face with a napkin. Stiles spit his soda on the floor, chocking afterwards. Malia tapped him on the back as he coughed insistently. Scott wrinkled his nose and shook his head.

"Ew, TMI, Lydia."

"I'm joking, we were just making out," Lydia reassured him, laughing at their reaction along the girls.

"That's not much better," Stiles muttered, attempting to clean the soda spots on his shirt.

"Aw, for the love of god. I may look like a saint, but that's the last thing I am," Lydia stated, running her hand through her hair.

"Don't worry, you don't look like a saint," said Allison.

"Well, I didn't really make an effort today."

Stiles didn't understand how the girls could not see a problem with Lydia's relationship with a guy like Theo. He had thought Allison and Malia would have his back, but they seemed to be okay with that. Theo was a lying son of a bitch and they knew it very well. Did they at least try to change Lydia's mind? And if they did, why couldn't Lydia just stay away from Theo? He couldn't be _that_ good.

"Hey, Stiles, you can stop making that face. You too, Scott," Lydia said, pointing her fork at them.

"I'm not making a face," Scott defended himself.

"Yes, you are. Don't even try to tell me you never lock yourself in an empty classroom with someone." Lydia pointed at the girls. "They won't deny it."

"Oh, no, we won't," Allison agreed while Malia shook her head, agreeing.

"The problem is not what you did," Stiles finally said. "Is who you did it with."

Lydia sighed, already tired of having that same discussion.

"Stiles, how many times will I have to say..." she started, but Stiles interrupted her by raising his hands in surrender.

"Fine, screw it, I already know," he said, getting up and walking away from the table without looking back. Lydia watched his back with her eyes widened with surprise.

"I don't..."

"I'll go after him," Malia murmured as she pushed back her chair, got up and followed her boyfriend, walking with large steps.

Stiles wasn't going anywhere specific; he just couldn't sit and watch his friends care so little about that situation. It pissed him off that Lydia wouldn't listen to him because, apparently, he was the only one who cared and who was actually trying to protect her.

"Hey, stop, _stop_!" Malia called for him, pulling the sleeve of his shirt so he would turn around and face her. "What the hell was that?"

"What?" He snapped, and she raised her eyebrows, taken back by his aggressive mood.

"You acting like a jerk then storming out like a fucking drama queen," she said, crossing her arms on her chest. "Is there something wrong?"

"I don't know, Malia," he said, sarcasm dripping from every word. "Is there something with you guys letting Lydia get involved with a pig like Theo? 'Cause maybe is not wrong to not give two shits about your friend's feelings."

Malia threw her arms up, frustrated.

"Damn it, Stiles, can't you just let it _go_?"

"No, I can't, okay? I can't!" Because it was still lunch time, the hallway was empty, so he didn't have to mind his tone of voice. Malia had a cold look on her face as she stared right into his eyes. Stiles sighed, sorry that he ended up yelling at her, and stepped closer. "She doesn't know him like we do, Theo is not..."

"I told her everything, okay?" Malia interrupted him, speaking louder. "Lydia knows damn well the kind of guy he is and, you know what, she's doing to him the same thing he did to me. She doesn't care and she's not looking for romance, *that's* why we're not worried! And you shouldn't be either! By the way, why do you care so much about what she does or doesn't do with her life?"

"Because Lydia is one of my best friends," he answered. "I can't not care about her, I don't want her to get hurt."

Malia went silent and narrowed her eyes as if she could read his mind, leaving him completely exposed. She shook her head and smiled bitterly.

"Bullshit," she accused. "You're jealous. That's the problem, isn't it, Stiles? You are jealous of Lydia."

Stiles furrowed his brow.

"What? No! Are you crazy?"

"I am _not_ crazy," she hissed. "For what other reason would you be so interested in separating them? Lydia is single and there's nothing stopping her from fucking whoever she wants. Why does it _bother_ you so much? You're jealous, whether you realize it or not."

Stiles blinked, a little lost. He had no idea that that was the message given by his action; the last thing he wanted was his girlfriend thinking he was jealous because of another girl.

"Hey, hey," he murmured, taking a step closer and placing a hand on her arm. Malia brushed him off, and he sighed. "Malia, I... I'm so sorry, you're right. I've been acting like a jerk, and it's really not my place to worry so much about Lydia. It's just that I remember how it was like when Theo, you know... I don't want Lydia to go through that."

Malia wet her lips, seeming a lot calmer. Stiles then stepped closer and placed her hands on both sides of her face and this time, she didn't push him away.

"I'm sorry I got a little obsessed," he said. "It wasn't right. I won't talk about it anymore, okay? I promise."

"You better not talk about it," she murmured. Stiles smiled lightly and leaned in to join their lips. Malia hugged him by the waist, kissing him back. A few minutes later, the bell rang loudly on the hallway, making them both jump. They broke apart, and as he grabbed her hand, she raised a finger to this face. "'Cause if you bring that up again..."

"I won't hear the end of it. Literally," he finished, making her smile.

Xxxx

"Lydia would you just pick a damn outfit, for the love of god," Allison begged, laying on the redhead's bed.

"Okay, okay... What about this one?" Lydia asked, grabbing a gorgeous dark red dress, which showed a great amount of cleavage. "Nah, it's too much."

Lydia threw the dress on her bed, adding it to the forming pile of discarded clothes. Allison and Malia rolled their eyes for the hundredth time that evening. They had their outfits and makeup on, and were ready to go for hours.

"I can't believe I let you convince me to go through this," Malia complained, spinning on the office chair by the desk.

Lydia made a face to the blonde. It had really taken a lot a effort to make her friends go to that party. The moment she opened her mouth and said "So, Theo told me about this party...", they were determined to say no to anything she would say next. Lydia had to come up with a whole speech about that being just a party, that everyone was going to show up, and there was going to be booze and good music and, finally, that they had to enjoy their senior year. At the end of her speech, her friends were even excited to go.

"I convinced you because it's a great idea," Lydia said, pulling a dark blue dress from her closet. "This is the one."

"It's beautiful, Lydia. It's amazing, it's perfect," Allison said, sending a suggestive look to Malia.

"It's definitely the best one," the blonde hurried to say.

"You will be the prettiest girl in there."

"Why don't you put it on already?"

"Alright, relax." Lydia put on the dress and stood in front of her full-body mirror, checking her every angle. She tilted her head to the side. "I don't know, are you sure this is the best one? I'm kidding, I'm kidding, Jesus," she said as soon as she saw the look on their faces.

"Now put on those black heels and let's _go_ , please," Allison pleaded.

The redhead took another twenty minutes to do her hair and makeup. In the meantime, Allison called Scott and told them to call a cab and stop by Lydia's house to pick them up. They went downstairs as soon as they heard a honk outside, and soon they joined the boys in the car.

"Lydia, you're going to be two days late for your wedding," Stiles said as soon as they got in.

"Good evening, Stiles, how are you?" She asked, smiling sweetly. He just narrowed his eyes at her, and she laughed.

After a fifteen minute ride, they arrived at the scene of the party. The loud music could be heard from afar, and the place seemed to be crowded. They pushed their way through the bodies until they found the bar, where they grabbed drinks to get the night started. The boys soon got involved in a conversation with some colleagues from the lacrosse team while the girls made their way to the dance floor.

After a while, Lydia told the girls she was thirsty and went back to the kitchen. The truth was that she was looking for someone specific, which was hard to do from the dance floor. She served some beer in a plastic cup and took a long sip, then she felt two arms wrapping around her waist from behind.

"I've been looking for you," Theo murmured in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"I bet you were," she replied, finishing her cup and acting nonchalantly while her heart started to race from his touch.

"You...look...beautiful," he whispered as he kissed her neck. "And so fucking hot."

Lydia smiled and turned around, putting her arms around his neck.

"I know," she said. Theo smiled and leaned in to kiss her. His kisses made her feel like there was a small flame going down her neck and heating up her whole body. His lips were not delicate; they took her with no hesitation, made her head spin, took her breath away. His strong hands held her tightly, they left marks, little memories of some mind-blowing moments that she loved to keep to herself. Theo was dangerous, Lydia had that feeling, but there was something about playing with that flame that made her reluctant to stop what they were doing. She just couldn't fall in love, but she had that under control.

Not too far from there, Stiles watched them. His hand held the plastic cup tightly as a wave of anger and disgust ran in his veins, and he couldn't take his eyes off the couple. That was like a hardcore scene from a horror movie, when you're freaked out but you can't look away. Stiles hated every second of that, but he had promised he wouldn't do anything. He needed to force himself to not care so much about Lydia, for the sake of his relationship. So he brought the plastic cup to his lips and chugged down all the beer.

"Hey!" Malia emerged from the dance floor, out of breath and smiling.

"Hey!" Stiles replied with the same enthusiasm.

"What are you drinking, is it beer?" She took the cup from his hand and smelled it. "Oh no, I want something stronger. Come with me."

The blonde grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the improvised bar. He went with no complaints, enjoying the idea of changing his drink. Scott and Allison joined them and soon the four of them were drinking like there was no tomorrow. The vodka burned its way down his throat, leaving him feeling a little weightless. And the conversation started to make less and less sense as the cups got empty then filled up again. Stiles didn't even blink when Malia, stumbling on her high heels, dragged him to the dance floor. They moved disorderly, just following the beat of the loud music. Stiles had never been a good dancer, but he couldn't care less; he was drunk, he had his girl with him and no one was really expecting him to show some good moves.

Eventually the effects of the alcohol began to wear out because of all the dancing. They left the dance floor, pushing their way through the moving bodies. Malia found an empty couch and collapsed on it.

"I'm gonna go find the bathroom, okay?" Stiles spoke in her ear so she could hear him with all that noise. The blonde nodded and pulled him closed by the shirt, kissing him briefly. Stiles smiled and winked as he left. The place was so big, so full of people that after a few minutes wandering around, he began to worry he would pee in his pants. He opened all the doors on his way, interrupting many couples having their own private party.

"Oops, sorry, sorry," he hurried to say, closing the door after walking in on two teenagers rolling on a bed. Then he stopped for a second, frowned, and opened the door again. "Hey, you know there's another couple on the floor, right? Okay, chill, I'm leaving!"

When Stiles finally found a bathroom, he had to kick out a couple that couldn't find a better place to get dirty before he got to use it. He got lost on his way back to the couch and ended up in a large backyard with a pool. Stiles had never been there before, so that was a clear sign that he indeed lost. He was about to turn around and remake his way to his friends when something caught his attention.

A girl had her back against the wall, and Theo had a hand placed next to her head as he leaned in. Stiles had already watched that scene before, except that that wasn't Lydia. The girl was a brunette, definitely _not_ Lydia. Theo leaned in closer and kissed her, and all the anger the alcohol had made Stiles forget came back burning. At the same time, the promise to not get involved got swept from his mind. His legs moved before he knew it, bringing him closer to target.

"Hey, Theo," he called. The guy lifted his head and looked at him, but didn't have time to say anything before Stiles' fist hit his face. 


	10. She's What Made You Change So Much

Stiles immediately wished he had thought twice before throwing the first punch.

The moment Theo's muscles went for him, it didn't matter if Stiles wanted a fight or not; the option of not resort to violence got thrown off the window, and now it was all about defending himself. Theo's fist hit Stiles' face, and for a few seconds, he thought his head would crack into a million pieces. Stiles stumbled backwards, but then he regained balance and didn't wait until his blurry vision went back to normal before grabbing Theo by the shirt and giving him a much weaker version of the punch he had just received.

Stiles didn't notice the circle of people forming around them, nor the screams. He didn't care that that was the first real fight he had ever gotten into, nor did he feel the pain from the punches. Adrenaline rushed in his veins and he was guided by his anger.

Theo lunged for him, tackling Stiles to the ground. The air escaped from his lungs as his back hit the hard surface, but Stiles didn't stop moving. He hit his elbow as hard as he could against Theo's ribs. The guy groaned in pain and revoked with another punch, then another. Using what was left of his strength, Stiles managed to shift places, hovering over Theo and releasing all of his rage against the guy's face.

Suddenly, something forced him to get back on his feet. Somebody put their arm around Stiles' neck to hold him still as he fought to free himself. Some other guys pulled Theo off the floor, and he also struggled against them to get back to the fight.

"Hey, break it off! What the fuck is this?" Yelled Brett, a senior year student and also the party hostess. "You two, get the fuck out before I call the police!"

"But he just _attacked_ me!" Theo yelled back in his defense, wiping a bloody cut on his lip with the back of his hand and wincing. "I barely know this asshole!"

"I don't care who started it, I want you both out of here, _now!"_

Stiles pulled down the arm around his neck and the stranger, noticing that he wasn't going to attack again, let him go. He looked at Theo's bloody face one more time before leaving without saying a word, pushing people out of his way until he could finally leave the house. Stiles choose not to stop and look for his friends; they would end up knowing everything in no time, everybody would. And now that the adrenaline started to wear out, he began to feel the effects of the fight. The pain and the tiredness hit him like an extra punch, and then all he wanted was to go home.

Stiles got into a taxi, told his address to the driver and sunk on the back seat, pressing his shirt against his bleeding nose and closing his eyes. When the car stopped in front of his house, he paid for the ride then dragged himself out. Some light were on inside, which meant that his dad was home. Stiles let out a long sigh and unlocked the front door.

"Stiles?" The Sheriff called from the kitchen. "I thought you wouldn't be home 'till later."

"Yeah, me too," he said, sighing again as he went to the where his dad was. The Sheriff's speech would happen sooner or later, so Stiles chose to face it already and call it a night. The boy collapsed on one of the chairs, exhausted, while the man hummed casually, preparing a sandwich.

"Are you hungry? I can make you a..." Noah stopped talking the moment he turned around and looked at his son's face. "Jesus, what the hell happened to you?"

"I'm pretty sure he died on the cross," Stiles murmured, unable to hold back the comment. His dad didn't laugh.

"Stiles," he admonished. Noah stepped closer to his son and placed his plate on the table. He grabbed Stiles' chin and lifted the boy's head so he could have a better look of his son's bruised face. Noah shook his head. "What happened?"

"I got into a fight," Stiles answered.

"A fight?!" Sheriff asked, grabbing a few ice cubes from the freezer and wrapping them with a towel. "Since when do you go around getting into fights?"

"Well, it was kind of hard not to get involved after I started it," he said, wincing when his dad pressed the ice against his face.

"What's gotten into you?" Noah sat across the table from his son and studied his face. "I thought you were smarter than to go around looking for trouble."

Stiles frowned. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I'm the sheriff and I raised you, boy, I thought you had no option _but_ to stay away from trouble. Apparently I was wrong."

"Your expectations are way too high, but I promise you I was not looking for trouble."

"So it just found you, then."

"That's not what I... ugh," he moaned, too tired to finish the sentence. "Believe me, I know I acted like an idiot, I feel like a giant idiot right now. I just, I wasn't... thinking straight."

"I'm glad you know that. Now tell me why you did it."

Stiles wrinkled his nose and closed his eyes. Now he regretted his decision to face his dad that night, which seemed to be made entirely out of bad decisions. He was tired, in pain and pissed at himself. He wanted to take a shower, go to sleep and only face his bruises and the consequences of his acts the next morning.

"Dad, can we talk about this tomorrow? I really..."

"No, we can't," Noah interrupted him, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms on his chest. "Go ahead, I'm listening."

Stiles sighed. He knew that there was nothing he could do to make his dad give up on having that conversation, so he told the sheriff everything, since the thing between Malia and Theo until his involvement with Lydia, then the cheating at the party. For Stiles, it wasn't weird, nor awkward, to talk to his dad about his life like that. His mom died when he was too young, so the two had a lot of time to get used to have each other not only as father and son, but also as friends.

"So you attacked this Theo because of jealousy," Noah said. "I did not see that one coming."

"No, I attacked Theo because he was cheating on Lydia," Stiles clarified. "I would appreciate it if people stopped thinking I'm jealous."

The Sheriff shrugged. "For me, it sounded like you started this fight because, beside not wanting Lydia to be with another guy, you got mad 'cause he decided to kiss someone else when he has Lydia. Am I wrong?"

Stiles stared at his father, a blank expression on his face. The boy had to admit that the sheriff had a point, and it scared him that his dad could be right. Stiles definitely didn't want to be jealous of Lydia, that's what had been keeping him from seeing the truth. He could not be jealous of Lydia.

"I am not jealous," he stated, looking at his bruised knuckles. "I was defending my friend, that's not jealousy."

"You know, when you were kids, you used to defend Lydia from everything," Noah said. "Every time she did something wrong, you came up with an excuse before she could get in trouble. You worked harder to make her happy than to do your homework."

"A true gentleman, you should be proud."

"We both know it wasn't about chivalry." Stiles lifted his head quickly as he listened to his father's words. Noah looked at his son like he knew all of the boy's secrets, and raised an eyebrow. "You followed her around like a shadow, and you were completely crushed when she left. I didn't have to be a genius to notice that you didn't like her just as a friend."

"That was a long time ago," Stiles said. He realized that he was not surprised at all to know that his dad knew the whole time about the way he felt for Lydia. Stiles never did a good job hiding it. But he wished everyone would forget about that, just like he did. "It doesn't mean anything anymore."

Noah narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, totally. It took me a long time to get over Lydia but it had to happen some day. It did happen, and now I don't feel anything for her that I wouldn't feel for any of my friends." Stiles got up before his dad insisted to continue that conversation, which was even more tiring. "With that said, I'm going to bed. Good night."

Stiles dragged his feet upstairs, to his room. He grabbed clean and comfortable clothes from his drawer and went to the bathroom, where he took a warm shower that helped to ease the pain. He got dressed and brushed his teeth avoiding his reflection on the mirror, because he didn't want to deal with that so soon. He went back to his room and collapsed on his bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

In the next morning, Stiles almost couldn't get up. The pain burned on his arms, ribs, and especially on his face. He sat up, moaning, and took a deep and slow breath. There were the consequences, showing up to say good morning.

"Oh, you're so fucking stupid," he murmured to himself, wincing as he threw his legs off the bed and got up. Stiles walked slowly to his bathroom, stood in front of the sink and finally looked at the mirror. "Aw, goddammit, man."

His bottom lip was split open and swollen, and a dark red bruise colored his cheek bone. His right eye was purple-ish and his left eye didn't open entirely. Stiles' face was a total mess and it would take weeks to go back to normal.

"At least you didn't lose a tooth you stupid moron," he grunted and he bent over the sink and carefully washed his face, drying it with a towel afterwards.

Stiles would love to go back to bed and sleep for a few more hours - or until he didn't look like a loser - but his stomach was growling and he smelled bacon. He went to the kitchen and found his dad making coffee, already dressed up as the sheriff.

"Hey, son. You look awful," Noah greeted the boy as walked in.

"Thanks, dad," Stiles deadpaned, serving himself some eggs and bacon. Noah laughed and joined him for breakfast. They ate in a comfortable silence - the father reading the paper and the son feeling miserable.

"Oh, by the way, Malia called," Noah said as he put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. "You should check your phone."

Stiles frowned. "My phone?" He hadn't stopped to actually think about the fact that he had disappeared from his friend's sight during the party after getting into a fight and hadn't said a thing about it. "Shit."

"Yeah, shit. See what happens when you decide to not think before you act? Shit happens."

"Very inspirational, sheriff."

"Boy, if I was talking to you as the sheriff you would never hear the end of it. I have some pretty good it's-time-to-grow-up speeches saved for situations like this. But, speaking as your father, I'll just say that walking around with the pretty face you have now is a good enough lesson." Stiles narrowed his good eye at his father, who just patted the boy in the head. "Good luck with your girlfriend. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you later," Stiles said in a low voice. He winced as he left the table, and went to his room. He picked up the pants he had used the night before, which he had thrown on the floor, and fished his phone from his pocket. Stiles sighed when he clicked the button and saw at least ten missed calls and texts from his friends. Most of them came from Malia, and he decided to get to her first. His frown deepened as he read her last messages.

 _Yesterday:_

"STILES WHAT THE FUCK"

"ARE U DEAD?"

"BITCH U BETTER NOT BE DEAD"

"CAUSE ILL KILL U WHEN I FIND U"  
 _  
Today:_

"Stiles im coming over"

"U better be alive"

Stiles barely had time to process how screwed he was when he hear someone coming through the front door, closing it and climbing the stairs. Malia knew where the spare key was hidden, of course. And she almost knocked down the door as she burst into his room. Stiles turned around to face her, preparing himself for what was coming.

"Stiles, oh my god," Malia gasped, walking up to him and hugging him. Stiles recovered from the surprise and held her, burying his face in her hair. Suddenly she pushed him back and punched him in the arm.

"Ouch!" He complained, wincing massaging the spot.

"What the fuck happened last night?" She nearly yelled, her brown eyes bright with anger. "In one minute everything is fine and in the next one you decide to go for the MMA's belt, and then you go disappear from the earth! What is wrong with you? Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"Yes, I..."

"When I heard people talking about the fight I thought I was gonna find you bleeding on the floor. Then I heard that you simply left without saying a word and I began thinking I was gonna find your body in a ditch somewhere. You couldn't bother to send a fucking message? How hard is it to grab the goddamn cellphone and send something, _anything_ , so your girlfriend won't think you're dead? "

"Malia..."

"And what were you thinking? We weren't even that drunk, and you tackle Theo as if you had just eaten a can of spinach? Fuck, Stiles, what is _wrong_ with you? I mean, how can you be so stupid..."

"Malia!" He called louder so she would hear him. Malia stopped talking, slightly out of breath. "I'll explain what happened, just let me talk, okay?"

"Fine, I'm listening," she said, crossing her arms just like the Sheriff had done.

"Okay. Alright. So..." Stiles wet his lips, then pressed them together, nervously fidgeting with his fingers. "I saw Theo kissing another girl. I mean, he was cheating on Lydia in front of everyone. He was basically asking for a punch in the face."

Malia stared at him, her face void of expression. Stiles waited anxiously for her to say or do something, which didn't happen for a few agonizing seconds.

"This is unbelievable," she finally said. Her eyes were not that angry anymore; now they disappointed, sad even. "Unbelievable."

"Malia, I..." he whispered, trying to find a way to make the situation better. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking..."

"Stop trying to find excuses, Stiles. There are no excuses for this. You promised me... You told me you weren't... and now..." Malia shook her head, laughing humorlessly. "What is it with guys lying to my face and making me feel so damn stupid? It's getting really old and I'm tired of this!"

Stiles opened his mouth to defend himself, because she had just compared him to Theo, but then he closed it. Malia was right and he knew that, he knew he had screwed up and that the biggest consequences could be putting his relationship at risk.

"I know," he said, lowering his head. "I know, I'm sorry."

"I've never seen you act this way. So jealous, impulsive and aggressive. This isn't... you," she said, furrowing her brow. "I didn't say anything about your change of behavior because I had no idea what could be causing it... or maybe I did know, and choose to ignore it. It's Lydia, isn't it? She's what made you change so much."

Stiles lifted his head and widened his eyes, taken back by her words. Malia had a hard expression on her face, but her eyes were watery. It was clear that situation hurt her.

"What happened between you two, Stiles?" She asked. "You were kids when she left, so you couldn't be really dating. But there was* _something_ , and it didn't go away with time."

"Malia, please..." he pleased, but the look on her face didn't give him the option of not responding her question. "Okay, fine. I liked her."

Malia arched an eyebrow. "You liked her? It's obvious it wasn't just it."

"Come on..."

"Stiles!"

"Alright, alright, ugh." Stiles closed his eyes for a second, wishing he could disappear, rather than standing there and telling his girlfriend that. "I was kind of... in love with her."

The blonde bit her lower lip, nodding slowly as she looked away.

"But," he quickly added, "that was a long time ago, and like you said, I was a kid so it wasn't that serious. It didn't really mean anything, I barely remember...

"Ah, shut the fuck up, Stiles. I'm not a complete idiot, it's obvious it was serious for you. And it doesn't matter if it happened a long time ago, you don't just forget when you fall for someone."

Stiles was about to apologize one more time when they heard someone calling his name downstairs. It was a feminine voice, which they both recognized as being Lydia's.

"Seriously?" He muttered under his breath.

"We're upstairs!" Malia yelled so the other girl could hear her, never taking his eyes off Stiles. They heard Lydia's steps as she climbed the stairs, and the blonde stepped closer to her boyfriend and said in a lower tone: "If you're still in love with her, let me know, okay?"

Stiles frowned at her.

"The door was unlocked, I figured you would be at home," Lydia said as she entered his room. Then she notice the tension between the two of them and blushed. "Sorry, I can come back another time..."

"No, it's fine. I was just leaving," Malia said, stepping back. Stiles didn't take his eyes off her, silently asking for her to stay so they could finish the conversation. The blonde ignored him, going to the door. "He's all yours," she told Lydia, and left without looking back. 


	11. He'd Rather See Her Laughing

A/N: Helloo everyone! Im still a little mad about the last episode, so im just gonna say fanfictions exist for a reason :) Thank you for reading this one! (and sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes)

Xxxx

Lydia was on the dance floor with Allison when she noticed a fluster in the place, but decided to ignore whatever had happened. But it didn't take long until the girls overheard some gossip about the fight, and they faced each other, chocked, before running off to find their friends. They found Scott and Malia next to the pool, both looking just as stressed.

"I can't find Stiles anywhere," Scott told them, running his hand nervously through his hair. "He must've left."

"But what happened?" Allison asked, putting her hand on his arm.

"Theo is saying that Stiles simply attacked him," Malia answered, typing furiously on her phone. "I don't believe a word that piece of shit says."

"Stiles is not here to say if Theo's lying or not, so," Lydia murmured, stretching her neck, trying to spot Theo. Malia looked away from her phone and landed her angry eyes on the redhead. "I'm sorry, Malia, but why would he just leave if..."

"Do you really believe Stiles..."

"Well, he's not here to defend himself, is he?" Lydia confronted her.

"Hey," Scott cut in before they started arguing. "We still don't know what happened, so let's not jump into conclusions."

Lydia let out an impatient sigh. "Whatever. I'll be right back," she said, walking away.

The redhead wasn't having any difficulties to believe that Stiles could attack Theo for no reason. He had never made an effort to hide his hatred towards Theo, and had probably been wanting to engage that fight for a long time. Lydia was angry and Stiles. Why couldn't he leave her relationship with Theo alone? Didn't he realize that she was not a child anymore, that she didn't need him to take care of her?

She finally found Theo, lying on one of the stretchers by the pool, pressing a towel against his bleeding nose. Lydia felt her heart tighten as she walked towards him.

"Hey," she said softly, sitting beside his legs. Theo lifted his head and opened one of his eyes.

"Oh, it's you," he said, laying his head again. "Came to bring regards from your buddy?"

"What? No, of course not..." Lydia frowned, eyeing his bleeding and bruised face with worry. "Theo, what happened?"

"The coward jumped me, that's what happened," he answered, lowering the towel. "You can ask anyone. I was just minding my own business when he came stumbling in my direction, drunk out of his mind. I barely had time to defend myself."

Lydia felt her anger grow considerably. Stiles had definitely crossed the line. Drunk, acting like an idiot, getting into pointless fights; he was not the same person. And that Stiles, who she wasn't sure she knew, was about to get his ass handed to him.

"Theo, I'm so sorry," she said, grabbing his hand. "I never thought Stiles could do something like..."

"Nah, you don't need to say you're sorry," he dismissed her, closing his eyes. "There will be payback."

The redhead blinked, taken back by his words. "What... What do you mean?"

"I could press charges, but I won't," Theo explained. "Your friend will pay, and I'll make sure he regrets what he did."

Staring him wide eyed, Lydia asked herself how he could make a threat like that with such a calm voice. It was hard to defend Theo when he was talking about revenge. Lydia realized she was afraid to ask what he had in mind because, given the determination in his voice, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to stop him. She opened her mouth to stutter something, but was interrupted by a brunette girl approaching them.

"Hey, Theo," the girl with a smile, kneeling beside him and handing him a red plastic cup. "I brought your drink."

"Thanks," he grumbled, grabbing the cup and chugging down its content.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, raising her hand and running her fingers through his hair. Theo didn't bother with her touch, which seemed to be known by him. Lydia watched the scene with wide eyes and a gaped mouth. That girl was definitely not a stranger, not to him. She was probably another Lydia; or maybe Lydia was just another girl from his list.

Theo shrugged, adjusting his back on the stretcher.

"I could be better, but I'll be fine."

"Well, I can make you feel better," the girl murmured seductively, inching closer. Lydia felt like throwing up. She jumped to her feet, putting some distance between them.

"Okay, this is..." She began to say, shaking her head as she struggled to find the words amongst all the anger. "How could you... You son of a bitch..."

"And who the hell are you?" The girl asked, as if she had just noticed Lydia's presence. The redhead scoffed, wetting her bottom lip. She turned to the people standing near them, grabbed two cups from their hands, then threw the alcohol all over Theo and the brunette. The girl let out a high pitched scream and she stood up, stupidly trying to clean her ruined white dress. Theo screamed too, but in pain because of his burning cuts. Lydia almost felt bad about hurting him that way. Almost.

"Fuck, Lydia!" He cursed.

"You deserved it, you disgusting pig. You're a gross son of a bitch and you know what? I pity you," she spat at him. Lydia then turned to the brunette, who stared at her with a stunned expression. "And you, want some advice? Fuck him and then leave. That's what he's good for."

Lydia spun on her heels and walked away as fast as she could. She head Allison calling her name, but ignored it and went back inside the house, pushing people out of her way and fighting the tears that threaten to fall until she finally got outside.

"Lydia, slow down," Allison said, finally reaching her. She grabbed her friend's shoulder and looked at the redhead with concern. "Are you okay? That was..."

"I don't wanna talk about it," Lydia interrupted her. Then she sighed and closed her eyes. "Sorry, I just... I want to go home."

Allison pursed her lips and nodded understandingly.

"Alright. Scott already left with Malia," she said. "Let's call a cab."

Lydia nodded, and they walked to the street as Allison made the call. She knew she would end up talking to her friend about the past events, but at that moment she just wanted to be alone.

The cab arrived and they got in. It was a quiet drive; the brunette respected the silence of her friend, who was clearly too upset to talk. They stopped by Lydia's house first, and she paid her share of the ride.

"Hey, if you need me just call, okay?" Allison said before Lydia closed the car door.

"Okay. Thanks, Ally." The redhead smiled lightly and closed the door.

Her aunt was pulling and all-nighter at the hospital, so the house was dark and silent when she walked in. Lydia locked the front door and went upstairs, straight to her room. She placed her purse on her desk, kicked off her shoes and collapsed on the bed.

Lydia closed her eyes and wished she could turn back time. But since that was impossible, her only option was to lay there and deal with her own stupidity.

It was hard for her to believe how much of an idiot she had been. A big, incredible idiot. She should have listened to her friends, but no, she had to be all confident and make her own plan of action based on her own poor choices. Getting involved with Theo, knowing that he was her just her type? Terrible, terrible choice. And fall for his lies, even after the _multiple_ warnings from her friends? Lydia felt so stupid it was unbelievable.

She hadn't planned to start liking Theo. She had meant it when she said she wasn't looking for a boyfriend, that the only thing between them was physical attraction. But that was just her conveniently forgetting that all her relationships had worked in the very same way: they were basically physical, both sides together just by the desires of the flesh, nothing else. Lydia hadn't fallen for any of her old boyfriends - she had never fallen in love, ever. Deep feelings like that were never part of her relationships, that was why they were so fleeting, they started and ended too easily.

Theo wanted her. That was clear by the way he looked at her and touched her. He gave her the attention she liked, she made her feel powerful, the figure of his dreams. The attraction was irresistible, the sparkle between them burned every time they were together. Lydia should have seen where she was headed. She had walked voluntarily to the trap, she had played against herself and she hadn't realized how big was the mistake she was making until that night.

The fact that Theo was clearly involved with more than one girl wasn't the thing that upset her the most. It didn't even hurt; she had been there before, being cheated on wasn't a big chock anymore. What was killing her was knowing that the first she did when she heard about the fight was turn against Stiles. Lydia choose Theo over him and it was wrong, and stupid, and she was ashamed.

Stiles was defending her. Watching out for her, just like he used to when they were kids, protecting her even she said she had it all under control. Stiles, her best friend, her safety blanket for the tough moments. Lydia was lucky to have him around, though she hardly ever acknowledged it. And now, drowning in regret and shame, she realized that she never really found someone like him, and that she never would if she lost him. Even though the momentarily anger she had felt towards him hadn't left the boundaries of her mind, she knew she had to apologize. She had to say how sorry he was for not thinking Stiles only had the best of intentions.

With a long sigh, Lydia got up from her bed and went to take a shower. After changing into her loose and comfortable stay-at-home clothes, she grabbed her phone and texted Stiles, asking him if he was okay. She waited anxiously for an answer as she made herself a sandwich in the kitchen, and text a bunch of other texts as she ate, and after she brushed her teeth and went to bed. Lydia stared at her phone for a few minutes before realizing he wasn't going to text back, so she put it on the bed stand and pulled the duvet up to her neck. She still had tomorrow to apologize.

Xxxx

"Malia! Malia, wait!" Stiles called, running after his girlfriend, who walked with large steps towards the front door. "Come on, we still need to talk!"

"Not now, Stiles," she said, pulling the door open and stepping out of the house. "Your friend is waiting for you."

He opened her mouth but was already gone, walking to her car. "Malia, I... Just wait, okay? We-"

"Not now!" She yelled before getting in her car and starting the engine. Stiles watched as she drove off, until she was out of his sight. He ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath, then turned on his heels and went back inside the house. He climbed the stairs slowly, wishing he never reached his room. Stiles was not in the mood for another lecture; he didn't want to deal with the consequences anymore. He had already fucked things up with Malia and put his relationship at risk. What else could happen?

Alone in the room, Lydia sat on the edge of his bed, fidgeting nervously with the hem of her oversized sweater. She knew why Stiles and Malia were fighting, because it was her fault. Everything that had happened the night before had been her fault. She bit her lip as she held back the tears. What if he didn't forgive her? What would she do?

Stiles entered the room, and Lydia jumped to her feet. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything, you guys seemed to be in the middle of a very serious conversation and I just..." She began saying right away.

He frowned. "It's, okay..."

"I know I should have called, but I did call a few times and you weren't answering so I had to... come and check on you..." Her voice died as her eyes focused on his face, so pretty, bruised with colors she had helped painting. Stiles looked tired and defeated and Lydia hated it. The tears came to her eyes and she didn't make an effort to stop them. The pain he was feeling was also her fault.

Stiles was taken back by her reaction. She wasn't pissed at him - she was crying in a heartbreaking way, and it was unexpected. He crossed his room with two large steps and took her in his arms without hesitation. Lydia hugged him by the waist and buried her face on his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. He caressed her hair to calm her down, not really sure if there was anything else he could do. Stiles was not used to seeing her like that, it bothered him profusely. He hated to see her cry.

Eventually, her sobs slowed and she began to breathe properly, but he didn't step away.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Lydia murmured against his shirt. Stiles frowned, confused. "It's all my fault, I'm so sorry..."

"Hey, hey," he said softly, breaking the hug and pulling her towards the bed, where they sat facing each other. "Why are you apologizing?"

"'Cause it's true," she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I s-should have listened to you guys, I am such an idiot..."

"No, Lydia... Hey, look at me," he murmured. Lydia lifted her eyes to him, and Stiles gave her a small smile. "None of this is your fault, okay? Don't be so hard on yourself, you did nothing wrong."

"You knew he was cheating on me, didn't you? You saw it."

Stiles sighed and licked his bottom lip. "Yeah, I did, at the party."

"Was that why you two were fighting?"

He scratched the back of his neck. "Well, yes," he answered. "That's why it's not your fault. I was the idiot, I shouldn't have gone for him like that. I mean, the guy is twice my size."

Lydia shook her head. "But you warned me about him, and I'm familiar with the kind of guy he is. I honestly don't know what I was expecting..." She let out a short, bitter laugh. "I never learn."

"So let's turn last night into a lesson to us both," Stiles said. "You say put an end to your experiences with Theos and I put an end to my career as an Avenger."

The redhead laughed. "If it makes you feel better, Theo looked way worse than you."

"Being an Avenger is not for anyone, Lydia," he said with a very serious face. "My career was short, but effective."

"How's that?"

"I did kick his ass Avenger style."

Lydia laughed harder this time, and he joined her. It didn't even look like only a few minutes before, she had been crying on his chest. It seemed to be impossible for her to feel bad about anything when she was around him.

She raised a hand and carefully landed it on his cheek, caressing his bruised cheekbone with a light touch. The laughed slowly died on his lips. His heart pace began to speed up because of the unexpected touch. Her vibrant green eyes wandered around his face and she sighed.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Their eyes met and Stiles, who had been staring intensely at he, blinked. "I'm so sorry you're hurt."

"Don't worry," he said, giving her a small smile. "It doesn't hurt that much. I mean, yeah, of course I wish I didn't look like this, but I can handle the pain. And I'm sorry too, for what Theo did to you."

Lydia sniffed. "Yeah, so am I."

"He's a jerk. No, _I'm_ a jerk. Theo's like a totally different type of jerk... Something radioactive. Or alien. Nothing worth studying. Dangerous for the kids. And for the grown ups."

Stiles stopped rambling, something he did a lot when he was nervous, while she laughed at the nonsense that came out of his mouth. He'd rather see her laughing like that, because he liked to see the dimples on her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes. In that moment, Lydia wasn't wearing any makeup, her strawberry blonde hair was up in a messy bun, and he thought she looked beautiful.

"Well, now I have to go," she said, getting up. "Gotta catch up with some homework."

"Really? I thought homework had to catch up with you," he joked, also leaving the bed.

"Come on, I'm a normal senior year student, Stiles."

"I highly doubt that, but okay."

Lydia shoved his shoulder playfully as he chuckled. Stiles followed her as she left the room and walked down the stairs. When they reached the front door, she turned to face him.

"I'm really glad you're fine," Lydia said, smiling.

Stiles waved his hand dismissively."Oh, I'm always fine. Don't worry about me."

The redhead smiled and stepped closer. Standing on her tiptoes, she put her arms around his neck and hugged him. Stiles' heart began to race again, something that hadn't happened the first time they hugged that day. This time, he couldn't help but notice the sweet smell of her strawberry hair, the very same smell from when she was younger... Stiles rushed to end that line of thought. He knew how her hair smelled when they were kids because... Well, he paid attention to everything in her back then. But that wasn't the case anymore.

 _Snap out of it_ , he told himself.

Lydia stepped back from the hug and Stiles quickly put a smile on his face.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said, opening the door. "Call me if you need anything."

The boy nodded, not knowing if he could trust his voice. Lydia smiled again and walked out the door. He watched her walk down the street, because they didn't live too far from each other. When he closed the door, Stiles rested his forehead on the wood and sighed. He thought about Malia, about how much he loved her. About how much he wanted to fix things between them. Stiles asked himself if it could be possible for the ghost of what he used to feel for Lydia to still be alive. And if he was, he wondered how fast he could made it go away for good. 


	12. Don't Call Me Beautiful

Heoo! It's me, Mario! You guys, my internet sucks right now, so sorry about any spelling and grammar mistakes!

" _Can you give me a ride? Allison is going with scott and my aunt needed the car_..."

Stiles stood in the middle of his room, staring at the message on his phone. How couldn't ignore Lydia's request, not now that he had read it... Or could he? No, of course he couldn't. They lived in the same neighborhood, he had no reason to not pick her up.

 _"Pleeease?"_

Maybe he was afraid to alone in a car with her? Afraid of what it might happen, what it might make him feel? Nonsense. He had nothing to fear. Stiles was definitely not worried about the things he thought he felt the last time they were together. He was determined not to care so much about things that weren't... Well, important. Lydia was his friend, and he had no problem giving her a ride. That's what friends are for. They give rides.

" _Its okay if you cant, i can get a cab_ "

 _"No, im on my way_ ", he quickly typed back, shoving his phone on his pocket afterwards. He hung his backpack on his shoulder, grabbed his keys and left his room. Stiles locked the front door on his way out and walked to the blue Jeep parked by the sidewalk. It was old, rusty and beaten up, but also his treasure. He sat behind the wheel, threw his backpack on the backseat and started the engine. The drive to Lydia's lasted less than fifteen minutes, so he was soon parking outside her house. He texted her he was already there and Lydia didn't take long to leave the house, closing the door behind her and walking to the car.

"Nice car," she said, smiling as she climbed in. She furrowed her brow, stuck a hand underneath her leg and from there, she took out a candy wrap. "It's very... you."

"That is the best compliment a car can receive, thank you," he said. Lydia scoffed and rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, your face is getting better," she pointed, turning her body on the seat so she was facing him. Stiles shrugged.

"I don't think so." His cheekbone was now colored with tones of purple and a light green, just like his eye, which was still a little swollen. The cut on his lip hadn't healed yet and it bothered a lot. Stiles could imagine the stares he was about to get as soon as he arrived at the school. "It looks like it's getting worse."

"No, it's getting better," she said, raising a hand and bringing it closer to the side of his face, her skin hovering over his skin. "See this greenish tone around the edges of the bruise? It means it's healing. It'll be gone in a few days."

Stiles ignored the feeling of anticipation caused by the proximity of her touch and just rolled his eyes.

"Why do you have to know everything about everything?"

"I read," she proudly answered, straightening her back. Stiles scoffed and shook his head. The rest of the drive went on a comfortable silence, and he even asked himself why the hell he was even worried about being alone with Lydia. Now the fear didn't make any sense, and maybe it never did.

He parked his Jeep outside the school and they both climbed out.

"Hey, Stiles," Lydia called, elbowing him lightly. She pointed her chin to Malia, who was on her way into the building. Stiles took a deep breath.

"Ok, here I go," he said, hooking his hands on the straps of his backpack. After another deep breath, he began walking towards the blonde.

"Good luck!" Lydia said loud enough so he could hear her. Stiles raised both his thumbs to her then turned his walk into a jog so he could reach his girlfriend.

"Malia!" He yelled. The blonde stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around to face him. Stiles slowed his pace until he stopped in front of her, panting lightly. Malia had spent the rest of the weekend avoiding him, and thought he perfectly understood why she did it, the radio silence only made him feel worse about what happened. So he had time to rehearse his apology, come up with a mentally written scrip with his most sincere - and touching - words. "Can we talk, please?"

Malia just stared at him for a while, clearly deciding whether or not his words were worth listening to while Stiles began to sweat under her gaze. Then she let out a heavy sigh and shrugged.

"Fine," she finally said. Malia walked over to one of the picnic tables on the patio, climbed on the bench and sat on the table. She crossed her arms and legs and looked at him with an arched eyebrow. Stiles nervously licked his dry lips, took a deep breath and sat beside her.

"I'm really, _really_ sorry about our fight last Saturday," he started. "I didn't explain myself correctly, and the whole thing was just a huge misunderstanding..."

"Oh, no, I understood very well the part where you said you are in love with Lydia," she interrupted him, her voice stone cold.

"I was in love with her," he clarified. "I _was_ , past tense, as in I'm not anymore." Stiles sighed and turned his body to Malia, who still faced forward. "You need to know the whole story."

The blonde shrugged again, like she couldn't care less if he was willing to sit there and explain himself of not, but Stiles knew she did care. He could see right through the armor she put on, he could understand what she was feeling even though she put a lot of effort into not showing any weaknesses. Malia had her own defense mechanism, which kept her from getting hurt, and it only got stronger after what happened with Theo. Stiles knew the only way to deactivate it was to be honest, and that was the plan.

"As you know, Scott, Allison, Lydia and I were best friends when we were kids. I don't really remember when I started to have feeling for Lydia, it just happened. Scott was the only one who knew... Well, I recently found out that my dad knew too, so that probably means a lot of people know. The important thing is that Lydia never knew... As far as I know, at least," he said, never taking his eyes off of her. Malia had lowered her head, silently listening to him. "So when she left, I... Man, I was a mess. I couldn't believe I was losing another person I loved. It was just... awful. It was hell."

Stiles wrinkled his nose as he remembered the time right after Lydia's departure. By then he already knew how it felt like to have the floor taken away from under his feet, how it was like to feel the walls crumbling down around him; he had lost his mother when he was seven, he was familiar with that kind of pain. But knowing all that didn't make losing someone so important any easier. Even though Lydia was just moving away, he suffered. Stiles had relied on the exchange of texts and emails, the phone calls that happened time to time, but even that was nothing but a band-aid; it wasn't enough. And when they grew more and more distant until they lost touch, he bled again. The world didn't feel the same; it was graceless and colorless, and he was trapped in it.

The boy shook his head, pushing away the memories. He couldn't get lost in the past anymore, he had to focus on the present.

"It took me years to get over her. I couldn't be in love with Lydia anymore, it didn't make sense. I had to convince myself to get used to her not being here, and that I had to go on with my life... Until, eventually, I didn't hurt anymore. I forgot about her. And then I met you," he continued. The bell rang inside the building and the remaining students hanging out at the patio quickly went to their classes, but neither Malia nor Stiles moved from their table. "I have to admit that I did find you a little intimidating when Allison introduced you. I think it's because you kind of hated boys back then. So I thought: hey, maybe if I'm cool enough, she won't hit me. You know I have the tendency to make people want to hit me, so yeah, my plan had its flaws. _But_ , it worked."

A bubble of laughter escaped Malia's lips, and Stiles smiled when he noticed she was struggling to keep a straight face.

"I had to meet you to know how amazing you are. Not just because you're beautiful, funny and confident, but also because of your personality and the fact that you're stronger than me. In every way. And yes, you're a little intimidating, but it's really hard not to like you, Malia. Even I, recovering from a heartbreak, couldn't help myself." Stiles held one of her hands sitting on her lap and squeezed it lightly. Malia finally turned her head to him, looking him in the eye. "I'm not with you because you made me totally forget about Lydia. I'm with you because I love you. And I don't want you to doubt that, 'cause it's the truth."

Malia was still silent, but the look on her face was way softer. Stiles waited for her, had already said what he wanted, never taking his eyes off of her. To his surprise, she let go of his hand, hopped off the table and hung her backpack on her shoulder. He did the same, standing in front of her.

"Your face looks terrible," she simply said. Stiles frowned, but smiled at the same time.

"Uh, thanks?" He said. "Does that mean we're okay? I can't tell."

To answer his question, Malia leaned in and laid a quick kiss on his lips. Before Stiles could properly react, she pulled away, turned her back to him and started to walk away, not towards the double doors of the building, but towards the parking space.

"Hey, where are you going?"

The blonde stopped walking and turned to him. "I don't know about you, but I really don't feel like spending my time in class today," she answered. Stiles was still confused, so she clarified her plan for the day. "You still have a lot of making up to do."

Malia had a smile playing on her lips, and this time, he fully understood her intentions. "I do?" He asked, grabbing his backpack and going in her direction.

"Yeah, you do," she said, resuming her walk to his car. "But you won't be speaking so much."

Stiles almost stumbled on his feet as he sprinted towards her. Malia chuckled when he put his arm around her shoulders, and neither of them looked back as they left.

Xxxx

"Wow, did you see his face?"

"Such a pity. I wanna take him home and take care of him."

"I heard the other guy got way worse. Apparently he didn't even show up today."

Lydia, who was putting some books in her locker, immediately stopped to hear the two girls talking. She turned her head and saw Theo walking down the hallway with his equally muscular friends by his side. That girl couldn't have been more wrong: Theo looked a hundred times worse than Stiles. He had two black eyes, one of them barely open, a swollen lip, a nasty cut on his eyebrow and colorful bruises. Seeing his beaten up face, Lydia remembered the promise of revenge he had made the night of the party, and she froze.

She knew it was probably not true, but she couldn't help but ask herself if Theo had anything to do with Stiles' absence. Now that Lydia had no reason to trust Theo, if had become easier to believe he could do terrible things.

"Theo!" She called, closing her locker. Theo turned to her, and a malicious grin grew slowly on his face. He said something to his friend and walked alone in her direction. Lydia gulped, and thought her seemed to body refuse to let the space between them grow smaller, she didn't move, and waited until he was standing right in front of her.

"Lydia, Lydia," he said. "How can I help you?"

"What did you do?" She bluntly asked. Theo arched his eyebrows.

"I'm not sure I follow your question, beautiful."

"Don't call me beautiful," she cut him off. "Stiles didn't go to any of his classes, and I know he came to school today. Did you do anything to him?"

Theo stared at her with a blank expression on his face for a few seconds, then he laughed.

"What, you think I lured him into an empty classroom and knocked him out?" Lydia narrowed her eyes as he laughed again. "You really think I'm that stupid?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," she said. Theo shook his head, as if he was disappointed at her.

"I'm not in a hurry to get my payback," he said. "You don't need to keep waiting."

Lydia took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Now that she was face to face with the real Theo - or maybe just the Theo she had refused to see, she was disgusted with herself for wanting so much to be with him.

"I won't let you get near Stiles," she hissed. Theo faked a chocked expression, that only pissed her off. "Whatever your plan is, it's not gonna work."

"What are you going to do, tell the cops?"

"Exactly."

"No you won't, and you know why?" Theo stepped closer and leaning in, drawing her mouth close to her ear. "Because if you open your mouth, I'll send him before they catch me. I'm not kidding. If the cops come after me, you will regret it. And so will him."

His closeness made Lydia hold her breath, and his words made her shiver. Theo had a dangerous glow in his eyes - which could easily be madness too, - and she knew that he meant every word he said. Lydia didn't really want to know the things he had in mind while making such threats. She was one of the only - maybe _the_ only person who knew about his plans, and he thought she wouldn't do anything to stop it? Lydia would not take this deal.

"Theo, please," she pleaded, grabbing the front of his shirt with both her hands. "Don't do this, please, I'm asking you... I'm begging you. I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt him..."

Theo looked down at her hands, fisting his shirt, then slowly lifted his eyes. The begging left a bad taste on Lydia's mouth, but she stood her ground. That malicious grin slowly found its way back to his face and it was a terrifying view. The redhead was afraid of what was coming next, but she knew she would do everything she could to protect Stiles.

"Whatever I want?" He asked.

"Anything," she said confidently.

"Be my revenge."

Lydia frowned, confused. "What?"

"Imagine seeing someone you love dating someone you hate. It must suck right? Even more if you can't do anything about it."

The girl let go of his shirt and took a step back, understanding immediately the meaning of his words.

"You're disgusting," she spat.

"Hey, it was basically your idea!" He said, smiling widely. "So you're gonna be my girlfriend, and I want you to be convincing. I want him to believe that you're madly in love with. It's that simple."

Lydia restrained herself not to lay one more punch on his face. His proposal was absurd and indecent, and it was not surprising at all that something like that would come from a jackass like Theo. Pretend to be his girlfriend would be hard and dirty job, and it would put her in a position she had never imagined herself in. But it was worth to break a few of her rules it that meant Stiles would be fine.

"If I say yes," she said, controlling her voice, "do you promise to leave Stiles alone?"

"I promise." Theo raised a hand as if he was making a serious oath. Lydia knew his word wasn't worth much, but the promise did relieve her a little bit.

"And for how long will I have to put up with this?"

"Undetermined," he answered. Lydia opened her mouth to argue, but he lifted a finger to silence her. "This is my revenge, Lydia, I'll say how this is going to work. Are you in or not?"

She took a deep breath. Stiles had protected her many times before; it was time for her to do something in return.

"I'm in." 


	13. Already Caused Enough Damage

Lydia never believed in deals with the devil. That until she agreed to fake date Theo Reaken.

She regretted saying yes almost immediately, and suddenly her mind was filled with mini-Lydias running around and yelling "Shit! Shit! Abort mission! I repeat, abort mission!" At night, sitting on her bed, she realized that the situation would be more complicated than she had anticipated.

Lydia considered herself a good liar. Not that she did it very often, but she knew she could do a good job at deceiving when she needed to. But she didn't know if she could convince even a single person into believing she was in love with Theo. The anger and the repulse Lydia felt towards him would be evident for sure in every fake smile she'd give - or it could be written on her forehead. And the plan was to make Stiles believe that she really wanted to be with Theo? Even after the conversation they had had in his room the morning after the party? That plan had so many flaws Lydia started to believe Theo wasn't so dangerous, just crazy.

But, even though she doubted the threat Theo had made could be taken seriously, Lydia didn't want to risk it. If dating him was what would make him stay away from her best friend, she was willing to make the sacrifice. She knew that seeing Theo and her together would affect Stiles, and just thinking about hurting him made her want to quit the plan, but what was the worst that could happen? Stiles could get pissed at her, he could stop looking at her face and stop caring so much... It all seemed horrible, but she was hoping she could fix everything after Theo "freed" her. Lydia would explain everything, and they would be fine. And Theo could go fuck himself, she couldn't care less.

The next morning, while she applied her makeup, she received a text from Theo telling her to be ready in five minutes, and to not be late. Lydia rolled her eyes and threw her phone in her bag. She realized in what way Theo thought that "relationship" would work: him telling her what to do, and she obeying with no hesitation. Well, he couldn't be more wrong. Though technically she had signed up for that, Lydia Martin didn't work that way.

"Do you want a ride to school?" Monica asked as Lydia entered the kitchen.

"It's okay, I..." Her sentence was interrupted by two loud honks outside her house. The girl sighed. "I already got one."

Monica watched with curiosity as Lydia calmly poured herself some juice. She drank it as she ate a toast, chewing with no rush. Then she put the empty cup in the sink, grabbed another toast, gave her aunt a kiss on the cheek and went to the door. Lydia walked to the car waiting for her by the sidewalk.

"Fuck, Lydia, I told you not to be late!" Theo complained to her as soon as she climbed in.

"Maybe _that_ was your mistake," she said, taking a bite of her toast.

"Try not to get toast on the fucking seat," he grumbled, stepping on the gas pedal and rushing out of her street. Lydia simply shrugged, unconcerned, and let some crumbs fall from her fingers on purpose.

Theo drove awfully fast, and they got to school in no time. Lydia, who held tightly onto her leather seat, basically jumped out of the car as soon as they parked. Before she could turn her back to him and walk to the building, Theo told her to wait, then calmly climbed out of his car, as if he was being filmed, and put his arm around her shoulders. Lydia rolled her eyes; of course he wanted to make a big deal out of them walking into school together.

"Smile, Lydia," Theo murmured by her ear. Resisting the urge to elbow him hard on the ribs, she put a small smile on her face, as if he had just said something sweet to her. Lydia could feel the eyes on the hallway focusing on them, but didn't look around. She didn't want to know their opinion.

"What the hell is that?" Scott suddenly asked, interrupting the conversation with his friends.

"What?" Allison asked, turning her head towards what Scott was staring at. The brunette arched both her eyebrows and blinked slowly, not believing her eyes as she saw Lydia and Theo walk in together. "Shit, I can't believe this."

"I thought she said she was done with that guy!"

"Maybe Theo really is her type," Malia said, shrugging. Allison's look shot daggers at the blonde.

"Seriously, Malia? He cheated on her in front of everyone, it doesn't make sense that he's _still_ her type."

"Obviously she doesn't care about that," Malia murmured. Allison scoffed, not believing her friend, and looked at Stiles for support. The boy had been quietly listening to their conversation, his face void of expression. He didn't know what to think about what he had just seen. Somehow, he was still hoping that the scene had been nothing but a trick of his mind, like a mirage or something.

"Come on, class is about to start." It was all Stiles said as he got up. Scott and Allison exchanged looks and did the same.

Xxxx

It was unreal the fact that, after everything that had happened, Stiles still got to watch the same thing again: Lydia with her back against the lockers, and Theo dangerously close to her. Theo leaned in, and thought Stiles wished for a second that she'd turn her face away, Lydia let him kiss her.

The boy almost didn't realize that he was standing in the middle of the hallway, watching the two of them from afar. That was definitely the worst feeling déjà-vu he had ever experienced - it was like watching a special episode from the Worst Moments Of Stiles Stilinski. He didn't understand what he was seeing, basically because, to him, it really didn't make any sense. Why was Lydia with Theo? What was happening? Was he still asleep or something?

"This is unbelievable," Scott said, startling Stiles, who hadn't noticed his friend standing next to him. He turned his eyes back to the couple and sighed, pressing his lips together.

"She must know what she's doing," he said, hooking his fingers on the straps of his backpack. Scott arched an eyebrow at him.

The truth was that Lydia felt nauseous. She already had to fight herself not to push him away, but letting him kiss her like that almost made her stomach turn in a very unpleasant way. She could barely remember how it felt like wanting to be touched by him, wanting to be with him. In fact, it was a feeling that she wanted to erase completely from her mind.

His lips lingered on hers. Theo knew Stiles was watching, so the show had to happen. Lydia shut her eyes closed and counted the seconds until it was over. And when she couldn't wait any longer, she broke the kiss and turned her face away.

"If you really want them to believe I like you, don't kiss for so long," she whispered, keeping a fake sweet smile on her face.

"Why? Our kisses used to last way longer than that," he said, caressing her face with his fingertips.

"That was before I wanted to throw up on your face," she retorted. Theo laughed.

"I imagine that little shit must be really upset right now," he murmured, drawing his mouth closer to her ear. "But if you don't want to continue with the show, I can find another way to piss him off."

Lydia took a deep breath. "Would you stop with the threats? I already said I'll follow this stupid plan."

Theo laughed again.

"Is that all you're going to say?" Scott asked, not understanding his friend's attitude.

"What else do you want me to say?" Stiles could barely keep the defeat away from his voice. He turned to his friend and shrugged. "I can't interfere with every decision Lydia makes."

"I know, but..."

"Look, I promised I wouldn't intrude anymore, okay? We saw what happened last time I did that," he said, gesturing to the bruises that were still healing on his face. Scott opened his mouth to argue, but gave up and nodded. Stiles had to make sure it was clear that he had zero intentions to try to save the day again. That promise had been made not only to Malia, but also to himself; shit almost hit the fan and made a huge mess the last time he tried to help Lydia without being asked to do so. It was a miracle he didn't lose Malia that night, and he wasn't willing to take that risk again.

"I gotta get to class," Stiles said, resuming his walk down the hallway. He couldn't help taking one more look at the couple as he walked past them. His amber eyes met her green ones for a moment and he had a weird feeling in his gut that something was wrong. Lydia's eyes said something he didn't understand, but they weren't happy. Theo looked over his shoulder as Stiles passed by, and had enough time to send him a mocking smile.

As soon as Stiles turned the corner, Lydia let out the air she didn't know she was holding. "Shit," she murmured to herself.

"So, that was fun," Theo said, still smiling. Oh, she did want to knock those perfect white teeth out. Instead, she finally got to push him back as hard as she could, almost making him lose his balance. Lydia #smoothed out her dress, not even trying to hide the disgust on her face. Theo shook his head slowly, liking his bottom lip. "Lydia, Lydia..."

"I'm gonna be late for class," she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she walked away from him.

Xxxx

Lydia didn't have the courage to show up for lunch. She chose to hide in the library and review some subjects taught in class. It was pleasant and very useful; she was keeping herself from public humiliation while doing something she liked very much, which was study. And, at the same time, she was avoiding her friends because she didn't want to know what they thought about her. Lydia knew all the roles she was playing: dumb, blind, naive, desperate... She didn't want her friends to see her that way.

So, from that day on, she would be hanging out at the library more often than ever.

Lydia checked the time on her phone and realized lunch break was almost over. She quickly rented the two books she had grabbed from the shelves and left the library. It was a little hard to walk in the already crowded hallway balancing her bag on her shoulder and two thick books in her arms, but she managed to get to the classroom without causing any accidents. She dropped it all on the table and sat down, sighing.

"Hey," she heard a well known voice say. Lydia turned her head and widened her eyes when she saw Stiles sitting right beside her. She had forgotten they shared that class. "I didn't see you at lunch today."

"I, ahn... I wasn't hungry," she answered, and he nodded. Lydia, confused watched him grab his notebook from his backpack. Wasn't he supposed to be mad at her? Or at least be disappointed to the point of not wanting to look at her face? Could they really have a casual conversation, as it that moment earlier in the hallway never happened?

"So... You and Theo, hun?" The question escaped his lips. Lydia sighed. Of course they couldn't have a normal conversation, or course she wouldn't just get rid of it. She had to bite her tongue to not tell him everything and put an end to the drama; Stiles had to believe she was dating, and that talk seemed important for the plan to work.

"Stiles, I..." she began to say, but he raised his hands.

"No, it's alright, I know shouldn't ask," he quickly said, regretting bringing that up. Lydia blinked, surprised. "You can be with whoever you want and it's none of my business."

"Ahn..."

"I'm not gonna talk about it anymore, okay?"

"Hm, okay." Stiles gave her a small smile and turned his head towards the teacher, who was writing something on the board. Lydia just stared at her desk, not sure what to feel about his reaction. She had thought she was set to hear a #sermon about the ridiculously bad decision she made when she decided to give Theo a chance, but instead she learned that Stiles... didn't care? Lydia was seriously torn between giving him a tight hug or a punch on the arm. Partly, she was relieved that Theo's oh-so-brilliant plan could be a total failure and he would have no one to blame but himself, because Lydia had done her part. But, on the other hand, she was a little bummed out because of Stiles' indifference.

Lydia knew that allowing herself to feel that way would be a selfish move of her, so she embraced the part of her that was relieved and smile. Stiles was a really good company during class - or in any other occasion, to be true. He did the cutest face when he got lost in the lesson, and she loved to help him. She didn't want to lose that, and she hoped that their friendship didn't get caught in all that mess. If the plan made her lose Stiles, she would never forgive herself.

Theo was already waiting for her when they stepped out of the classroom.

"Hm, I'll see you tomorrow," Stiles said before the moment started to get awkward. He gave her a small smile, which she returned, and simply walked away as if Theo wasn't standing there.

"What took you so long? Class ended ages ago, there's no one else in there," Theo said, and earned an eye roll from Lydia.

"I thought you were my fake boyfriend, not the school bus," she said impatiently, walking past him.

"And why were you and Stilinski together?" He asked, catching up with her.

"Obviously, we were in the same class," she answered. "And back off, we're still friends."

"If that's the problem, just stop being friends."

"What? Aw, for the love of..."

"Hey!" Theo held her by the arm, forcing her to stop walking. "I meant what I said. I don't want you two together, understand?"

"No, I don't, and that wasn't part of the deal!" Lydia said through her clenched teeth as she tried to free her arm, but Theo only tightened his grip. "Let go of me, you..."

"My game, my rules. You and Stilinski are not friends anymore, do you *understand*?"

"Theo, you're hurting me!"

"Not until you-"

"Take your hands off of her," said a third voice coming from behind the redhead. Lydia turned her face and saw Scott staring at Theo with anger.

"Or what? You're gonna attack me like your buddy did?" Theo asked, opening a slightly frightening smile. He let go of Lydia's arm and stepped closer to Scott.

"You look like you're ready for a round two," Scott said. "And you'll lose. Again."

Massaging her arm, that would certainly get bruised, Lydia looked at the two boys, equally tall and muscular, and felt a disaster coming up. She wouldn't be able to stop them if they launched for each other. She didn't want to be - she _couldn't_ be - the cause of another fight; she had already caused enough damage.

"Hey, stop this!" She yelled, positioning herself between them and trying to push them back. None of them moved; the boys seemed to stand like mountains. "Stop this, now!"

"Your friend got lucky, McCall," Theo teased, ignoring Lydia.

"I'm not counting on luck."

"Scott! Look at me," she pleaded, putting her hands on her friend's chest. Scott lowered his eyes, and she hoped he could see the desperation in hers. "Please, don't do this. Please."

Scott pondered for a few seconds, looking at the students in the hallway who had stopped to see what was happening. Finally, he sighed, incapable to ignore her wish.

"Fine," he agreed, and Lydia gave her a small relieved smile. Scott landed his eyes on Theo again. "But if you put your hands on her again, I'm won't think twice."

"Let's see about that, McCall," Theo said.

Scott gave Lydia a quick kiss on her forehead and after shooting another glance at Theo, he resumed his walk to the parking lot.

"Why do you have to keep looking for a fight with my friends?" Lydia shouted at her fake boyfriend.

"You know they are the ones who..."

"I don't care! Just leave them the fuck alone, okay? And let's go, _now."_ Before Theo could say anything, she was pulling him by the arm towards the exit. "I'm so done with this day," she muttered under her breath. 


	14. We Know There's Something Wrong

_A/N: Helloo how are you guys doing? Hope everyone is feeling great good fine aaaand heres some more drama to you, catch!_

Stiles could feel Malia's eyes burning holes on his skin as he tried his best to keep his focus on the mashed potatoes on his plate. He wouldn't lift his head because he knew his eyes would immediately run across the cafeteria and land on a certain couple sitting not too far from there. And because he still couldn't trust himself when he saw them together, he chose to keep his head down.

Lydia and Theo had been dating for two weeks now, and Stiles was still having a hard time getting used to it. At the beginning, he easily kept his promise to not get involved; all he had to do was think about Malia and how it felt to almost lose her. Now, Stiles had to use all of his strength to stop himself from walking up to the couple and yell at them, asking what the fuck was going on. He wanted to grab Lydia by the shoulders and shake her until she realized the mistake she was making.

And if she really wanted to be with Theo - and somehow Stiles still hoped that she was going through some delayed rebellious phase,- then why did she look so miserable when she was with him? Her smiles never reached her eyes, and they never lingered much on her lips; they were nothing but a weaker version of the bright smile Stiles knew she had. The fact that he didn't know what to do about that bothered him more than the hatred he felt for Theo. Lydia was growing more and more distant; she never sat with her friends anymore, and the small talks they had were only long enough so she could quickly say she was fine.

Allison, Scott and Stiles knew something was going on. Allison had picked up the habit to stare at the couple with the most threatening expression she owned, the one that could make anybody want to run for their life. The brunette wasn't a violent person, but she did know some amazing moves, some of which she had learned from Stiles' dad. She was quick on her feet and stronger than she looked; the girl could wreak havoc if she wanted to. Scott tried to convince Stiles to confront Theo with him, but the boy rejected the idea almost immediately. Malia still didn't understand the reason why they were so worried. She insisted in saying that Lydia obviously didn't mind dating a cheating asshole. Stiles was almost sure she still resented what happened at the party, but was afraid to ask.

"Are you guys excited for the game tonight?" Malia asked.

"We're gonna lose," Stiles answered, drawing his fork around the mashed potatoes.

"Wow, that's the spirit," she ironized. "Come on, you've been practicing almost every day!"

"Yeah, you can win this one," Allison agreed, putting a hand on her boyfriend's arm.

"We did make some progress during all those weeks," Scott said. "But we're definitely gonna lose."

Stiles nodded. The Beacon Hills High School's lacrosse team, the Cyclones, was not the worst in the state, but also was far from being the best. The exhausting and insistent training had been showing its results, but all the players, including the coach, had already accepted that tonight's game wouldn't be theirs. But they wouldn't be slaughtered, which was already progress, but they were definitely not going to win.

His eyes wandered involuntarily around the cafeteria. Theo was enjoying a heated conversation with his friends about the game - or rather what they could do to the opponents, - while Lydia sat uncomfortably on his lap, clearly wishing she could be anywhere else. The plastic fork snapped on Stiles' hand and he took a deep breath. That was one of the rare moments he wished he had left the bench and actually played with the team, just so he could have an excuse to tackle Theo. But at least he had Scott to represent him on the field.

Xxxx

Lydia left the cafeteria in such a haste that her feet barely touched the floor. If she stayed another minute listening to Theo talk about that freaking game, that place would become a murder scene. She wanted to run to her house and take a shower; after two weeks of fake dating, she still hadn't gotten used to feeling dirty all the time. And the anger she felt towards Theo and his friends only seemed to grow.

She walked with large steps in the hallway until she entered the bathroom. Lydia sighed in relief when she found the place empty and went to one of the sinks. She put a good amount of soap on her hand, rubbed them together and covered half of her forearm with foam, rinsing it afterwards. It wasn't enough to make her feel cleaner, but it was something.

Lydia put her hands on the edges of the sink and looked at the mirror. Its reflection showed a beautiful girl, perfect hair and perfect makeup; a typical vision of Lydia Martin. She was doing everything she could to keep the appearances. Inside, she felt exhausted, unhappy, on the edge of a mental breakdown. She wanted to scream. She was so damn tired of the fake smiles, of the unwanted touches, of pretending she was fine. Lydia felt like that stupid revenge was against her.

And the worst part was that she didn't even know if it was working. Stiles seemed to be simple ignoring them both, for Theo's frustration. Lydia hated to admit it, but that bothered her too. She knew that Stiles' reaction should be a good thing, and that she should be relieved with his decision of not starting another fight. But she couldn't help feeling a little... Abandoned? No, that wasn't it. She just had the idea that Stiles would always be there to protect her, no matter what. She had grown up used to having him by her side.

"Lydia?" Someone called her, making her jump. Lydia turned on her heels and looked at Allison with wide eyes. The brunette smiled. "Hello."

"Hey," the redhead breathed out.

"I was looking for you," Allison said, stepping closer and leaning on the counter. Taking a closer look at her friend, she frowned. "Is everything ok? You look..."

"I'm fine," Lydia quickly answered, putting a smile on her face.

"Right." The brunette narrowed her eyes, clearly not believing her friend. "Anyway, I came to ask you if you're coming to the game tonight."

"Ah..." Lydia bit her bottom lip nervously as she put a strand of hair behind her ear. How did she say 'I wouldn't show up at this game to save my life' in a nice, convincing way? "Actually no, I... have homework to do. Lots of it. Piles."

Allison arched an eyebrow. "That much, hun?"

"Yup. It happens."

"But Theo is playing tonight. Won't you come cheer for him?"

The redhead almost laughed. She couldn't imagine herself sitting on her bedroom' floor making an overly decorated banner with 'Go Theo!' written on it, then taking it to the bleachers and yelling like a crazy lady during the whole game. Lydia would never do that, not for Theo; he already made her humiliate herself too much.

"He doesn't need me there. Plus, they're gonna lose anyway, so." Lydia shrugged and Allison laughed.

"Yeah, that's true," she agreed. "Do you think you'll be done with you homework by tomorrow?"

The redhead opened a half smile, sensing that Allison knew she was lying before. "Maybe, why?"

"We could do another girl's night," the brunette said, smiling excitedly. "Just the two of us, like the old times."

Lydia's smile grew at the prospect of having a little fun after all those awful days. She needed a break from all the faking and hiding; she needed to be herself for a moment.

"Sounds amazing," she said truthfully. Allison let out a happy squeal and embraced her friend in a bear hug. Lydia laughed and hugged her back, already feeling a little better.

Xxxx

Lydia hated to drive to school with Theo everyday, but those were the only moments when she didn't feel so powerless. Theo's patience wearing thin outside her house never made her rush to get ready or having breakfast.

"I'm sorry, but your boyfriend is a jerk," Monica said on Friday morning, while Theo's insistent honks ruined her breakfast mood. Though she never actually met Theo, because Lydia would never introduce him as her official boyfriend, Monica was starting to hate him. She had noticed that, since the beginning of the "relationship", Lydia hadn't once looked happy at the prospect of spending time with him. Though that was enough reason for Monica to not like Theo, the fact that he didn't respect breakfast, her favorite meal, annoyed her to the point of once almost attacking him with a pan.

Lydia laughed and kissed her on the cheek.

"Don't worry, he won't be around for much longer," she said, grabbing her bag and walking to the door. The girl noticed Theo's bad mood even before she entered the car; she already knew that the Cyclones, as expected, had lost the game the night before.

"Good morning," she cheerfully said as she climbed in his car. "How was the game last night?"

Theo muttered something Lydia didn't quite understand and stepped on the gas pedal, much to her delight.

Her personal moment of fun ended as soon as they got to school; she could no longer act like herself from the minute she stepped out of his car. That thought made the smile get wiped out of her face.

"Theo, for how long we're gonna keep doing this?" Lydia asked, staring at the windshield as Theo parked the car. He killed the engine, leaned back on his seat and frowned.

"What do you mean?" He asked, though he knew very well where that conversation was headed.

"I mean _this_." Lydia waved her hand exasperatedly between them. "For how much longer I'm gonna have to pretend I'm your girlfriend? Because, if you haven't noticed, your plan is not..."

"I say when we're done," he cut her off, ending the conversation as he opened the door and stepped out of the car. Lydia blinked, outraged, and did the same as him. She quickly walked to him and and kept her tone down so she wouldn't draw attention to them.

"But can't you see that Stiles..."

"Lydia." Theo interrupted her again, putting his hands on her arms and looking in her eyes. For anyone who watched from afar, that would be a romantic scene, but only she could see the glow on his baby blue eyes. "I saw when we're done."

Theo gave her arms a light squeeze as he leaned in and joined their lips. It was a quick and tender kiss, very different from all the other ones. Theo stepped back and walked away without saying another word, leaving a stunned Lydia behind. Of all the kisses he had given her since that nonsense begun, that was the she had hated the most. It was almost like it carried a hint of a feeling, something that meant more than the classic we're-just-trying-to-convince-you-that- we're-in-love kisses.

Theo's grumpiness persisted during the rest of the day. Lydia didn't know if it was because of the game they had lost or because of something else, but honestly, she couldn't care less. On the contrary, seeing him having a bad day was definitely satisfactory for her. Lydia didn't have to display many fake smiles of touch him in an affectionate way; it was like a day off.

When the classes were over for the day, the girl walked to the parking lot and waited for her ride. She bit her lip, excited and anxious for some fun.

A strong arm was placed around her shoulders, startling her.

"Come on," Theo said, basically dragging her towards his car. Lydia pushed his arm away and turned to face him.

"I'm not going with you today," she said, barely containing the excitement on her voice. Theo frowned.

"Who's gonna...?" He stopped talking, looking confused at the wide smile that appeared on the girl's face. Theo turned his face and saw Allison walking in their direction.

"Ready?" The brunette asked, smiling back at her friend, who nodded fervently.

"Hold on," Theo said, grabbing his fake girlfriend by the wrist before she could walk away with her friend. " _I_ can take you home."

"Well, she's not going home," Allison cut in before Lydia could open her mouth. The brunette stepped closer to the boy, s staring him with her chin up. "Is there a problem?"

Theo stared back, not saying a word. He was a few inches taller than her, but in that moment, she seemed to be way bigger than him.

"Then I suggest you let go of her, now," Allison continued. "Or round two will be with me."

Lydia almost laughed when she noticed that people had started to pay attention to them, probably waiting for some action. Maybe she should sign up for that second round too; she had more than enough reasons to punch that pretty face of his.

Theo locked his jaw and let go of her wrist. Lydia wiggled her fingers goodbye before grabbing Allison's hand and walking to the brunette's car.

"That was awesome, Ally," Lydia said as soon as they were both in the car. The look Allison gave her made the redhead realize she had said too much. Congratulating her friend for hating her boyfriend didn't sound like something someone in love with the boy would do. For a moment, Lydia forgot that Allison didn't know the whole story behind her relationship with Theo.

The brunette shook her head as she started the car. "Girl, you and I are up for a long conversation," she said.

Xxxx

All of Lydia's worried were gone the second Allison took out a bottle of vodka from her wardrobe.

The girls tried to watch a movie, surround by chips, candy and chocolate, but the alcohol made it hard to focus on the cheesy couple on the TV screen. So they danced and sang their favorite songs, blasting in the background. The booze made them feel lighter, and the sugar stopped them from being too drunk to dance around the room. That was exactly what they did when they were little, except for the vodka; they would turn on the music and pretend they were supermodels, of famous singers.

Hours after the sun went down, they fell on the bed, exhausted.

"We gotta do this more often," Allison panted, smiling.

"Hell yes," Lydia agreed, shoving some chips into her mouth. "And the vodka was an amazing addition."

Eventually, the giggling died. The girls stared at the ceiling of Allison's room in silence as the music still played. Lydia felt their moment come to an end, and she knew what would follow. Allison knew it too.

"Lydia," she said. The redhead sat up and sighed. Lydia should have known she could never really catch a break, that she could never forget about it. "Lyds, you know we have to talk about it."

"I don't... There's nothing to talk about," Lydia said, though she knew Allison didn't believe it.

"Of course there is," Allison insisted sitting up in front of her friend. "Please, tell me what the hell is happening. We're worried about you."

"Well, I don't know why are you so worried, I already told you everything is _fine_." Lydia worked on the impatience in her voice, but she stared at her hands, incapable of letting it reach her face.

"You're not telling us the truth," Allison stated. "Theo and you... It doesn't make any sense. Not just because of everyone that happened, but because you're unhappy, Lydia. We _know_ there's something wrong."

Lydia pressed her lips together, feeling her eyes get filled with unwanted tears. "I don't need help," she murmured, keeping her head down. "Theo and I are dating and... I-I like him. A lot. I really like him..."

"Then look me in the eye and tell me you want to be with him. Tell me you love him."

The redhead slowly raised her head and stared at her friend's dark brown eyes. She couldn't do it. She couldn't lie, she couldn't say those words. She didn't want to. Lydia closed her eyes before the tears fell from them. That was too much.

"Ally, I can't..." She whispered. Allison grabbed her friend's hands and squeezed them.

"Yes, you can. Tell me."

Lydia inhaled deeply and, before she could stop herself, the words were spilling from her mouth. She told what happened on the night of the fight then on Monday after, she explained Theo's plan and why she thought it wasn't working. Her throat was dry when she finished talking, and when she opened her eyes, she saw Allison staring at her with sympathy.

"Oh, Lydia..."

"You can't tell anyone," Lydia warned her. "I don't know what Theo's gonna do if he finds out I told you..."

"What do you think he _could_ do?" Allison asked. "If you told Stiles, for example."

"I have no idea, and that's what worries me. I don't know what he has in mind, I don't what he's capable of and honestly, I really don't want to find out."

"You can't keep going with this... _plan_ , or whatever the fuck this is." Allison shook her head. "This is crazy, Lydia."

Lydia sighed. "I don't have many options, ok? I can't just tell Theo I'm out."

"But you don't have to deal with it alone anymore," the brunette said with determination. "I'm with you and I've got your back. Always." 


	15. That Can't Be On You

"Why do you think it's not working?" Allison suddenly asked while driving to school. Lydia, who had been distracted, looking out the window, furrowed her brow.

"What?"

"Theo's 'plan'," the brunette explained, air quoting the last word with two fingers. "Why do you think it's not working?"

"Oh." Lydia blinked, taken off guard by the question. She straightened her back on the seat and turned her body to her friend. "Theo came up with this whole thing to mess with Stiles. I think he was expecting something like what happened at the party... Actually, I'm not even sure about _what_ he was expecting. But Stiles just don't seem interested at all, you know? He doesn't seem to give a shit about Theo and I being together, so... Yeah, it's not working. And Theo won't quit."

Thinking about that made a wave of desperation crash in her chest. Would Theo really be capable of keeping that up and string her along for as long as took until he got what he wanted? _How_ long would it take? Lydia had never felt that impotent. She was basically being held hostage by a madman, who obviously didn't care about anything but himself, and all she could do was count the minutes until she could finally break free from his leash.

Allison shook her head, surprising Lydia with a laugh. The redhead arched an eyebrow, not understanding what was so funny.

"Oh, but you're _so_ wrong." The brunette looked at her friend, who still stared at her, and opened an incredulous smile. "You really think Stiles doesn't care? _Our_ Stiles?"

Lydia simply shrugged, not knowing what to say. She was aware that her doubts regarding Stiles could sound at least a little childish, but they weren't there for no reason. During the small conversations they'd had during those weeks, he had treated her like he always did, and thought she kept her distance, so did he. It was almost like nothing had changed, like she wasn't dating his arch enemy. Lydia wasn't making it up.

"Oh, Lydia..." Allison let out another laugh, slowly shaking her head.

"Would you stop laughing?" Lydia complained.

"I'm sorry," said the brunette, putting herself together. "It's just that I don't understand how you don't see it..." She stopped herself before she said something she shouldn't, and her face became more serious.

"See what?" Lydia asked.

"I don't understand how you can still doubt what Stiles feels..." Allison interrupted herself again, looking at her friend from the corner of her eye. Then she turned her attention back to the street and wet her lips. "What I mean is that he cares. A lot. You know he always took care of you. But things are a little different now. Malia and Stiles are... Well, you know Malia was pissed after what happened at the party, and Stiles didn't want to fuck things up with her again."

Lydia sighed and sunk in the seat. "Yeah, I know," she murmured.

"The truth is that none of us knows what to do. Scott wants to confront Theo about the whole... thing between you and him, but Stiles keeps saying it's not a good idea, though I have the feeling that he only says that because he doesn't want Malia to think he's jealous." A small smile played on Allison's lips, like she had remembered a joke. "But I, being the second smartest person in the pack, decided to crack the case. Now Theo's gonna have to deal with us both, and I wanna take this little shit _down_."

Lydia laughed and bit her lip. She had no idea what Allison could do to help her deal with Theo, but it was comforting knowing she had someone by her side. Maybe her friend could somehow convince him that no one was buying that bullshit, and that the best thing he could do was to just give up. Lydia had held up to her end of the deal - except for the part where she told Allison everything, but she would make sure that Theo never found out,- so he wouldn't have another option but to let her go. And after that... He would never talk to her again? Leave her and her friends alone for good? Without getting what he wanted?

"Allison, what do you think Theo is going to do if he ever gives up on this plan?" Lydia suddenly asked.

The brunette asked, noticing the nervousness on her friend's voice. "Cry? I don't know. Does it matter?"

"It does! What if..." A hurricane seemed to take over Lydia's mind. She really wanted that fake relationship to be over soon, but maybe its _ending_ could be the worst thing. Lydia covered her face with her hands, suddenly feeling sick. She had bad endings all around her, and there was no way out. "Oh my god, oh my _god_."

"Lydia?" Allison called, splitting her attention between her friend and the street ahead of her. Lydia uncovered her face, her green eyes wide as two plates.

"If this fake dating thing doesn't work, he's gonna go back to his original plan," she said. A strange pressure in her chest squeezed her heart and the tears burned behind her eyes. "Theo wants revenge. He's not gonna rest until he gets his fucking revenge, Allison. He won't, he won't..."

Lydia barely noticed when Allison parked the car by the sidewalk. A sob escaped her lips and warm tears made their way down her cheeks. The brunette turned her body to her friend and grabbed her hand.

"Lydia, look at me."

"Theo's gonna hurt Stiles," Lydia murmured. That moment of despair was her realizing that she couldn't protect Stiles. Everything she had done had been for nothing. Lydia had fooled herself into thinking she could do something for him, for once. She could fake her best smiles, endure the longest kisses, hide the best way she could what she felt; but, at the end of the day, all she was really doing was buying Stiles more time. "Theo's gonna hurt him, Allison. It doesn't matter what I do... He's gonna hurt Stiles and for what...?"

Allison unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled Lydia into a hug as the redhead tried to control her sobs.

"Shh, Lydia... Things are gonna be fine," Allison murmured, caressing her friend's back.

"I don't know what to do. I was just trying to p-protect him, I just wanted to... Oh, my god..." Lydia shut her eyes. "This is my fault. It's all my fault."

"No, stop right there. That is not true," the brunette said, breaking the hug and putting her hands on Lydia's shoulders.

"Of course it is!" The redhead almost shouted. "If I had listened to you guys none of this..."

"Lydia, you couldn't have known that Theo would turn out to be a psycho. None of us saw that coming. I mean, yeah, we knew he was an asshole, but plotting a revenge over a stupid fight?" Allison scoffed, and gently wiped the tears from Lydia's cheeks. "The guy is insane and that can't be on you, Lydia, so stop that. Hating yourself for getting involved with him is not gonna change anything. We can't change the past, we change the present."

 _I can't do that either_ , Lydia thought. The rest of that story was far from her hands, but it was headed for a very bad ending.

Xxxx

Allison and Lydia didn't get to school in time for the first period, but none of them were too worried about that. The hallways were empty when they walked into the building, but soon the bell rang and the students left their classrooms. Lydia said goodbye to her friend, who gave her a tight hug, and began her hunt, which wasn't so hard, because the pack she was looking for was particularly loud. She followed the dumb masculine voices and the slightly hysterical laughs, walking as fast as she could until she got to her target.

Lydia grabbed Theo's arm and dragged him away from his friends without saying a word. He opened his mouth to protest, but stopped himself as soon as he saw that it was the redhead who pulled him, and let her string him along with no complaints. The girl found an empty classroom and pushed him inside with no ceremony and got in as well, closing the door behind her.

"Hum, it's been a while since we've done this," he said, with a smile full of dirty intentions on his face. He approached her, making her press her body against the wall, and leaned in. "You know, I was actually missing it..."

Lydia pushed him away as hard as she could.

"That's not what's happening here, you moron," she said, not hiding the disgust in her voice. She crossed her arms on her chest, as if she was putting up an armor. "I wanna talk about our... thing. Our relationship or whatever."

Theo squared his shoulders and raised an impatient eyebrow. "What about it?"

"Why are we still doing this?" She asked. "Why haven't you given up yet?"

He blinked. "Give up?"

"Yeah, give up!" Lydia repeated, speaking as if he was a child. "Theo, what the fuck is wrong with you? Stiles is dating and he loves Malia, so it doesn't make sense that you're still waiting for another jealous rampage. Fine, it happened once, but he knows it was a mistake and he's not gonna do it again! I honestly don't know if you're choosing to ignore it or if you're too fucking stupid to see, but you're not gonna get what you want, whatever the hell it is."

Theo stared at her with his face void of expression, and Lydia didn't wait for a reaction; she just took a deep breath and said all she had in mind.

"I can't do this anymore. All this lying and all this faking... I can't do it anymore, I don't want to. It's ridiculous, pointless and so _humiliating_..." She scrunched up her nose, fighting the angry tears that burned behind her eyes. "I need you to tell me it's over, 'cause I'm done. I'm fucking _done_ with all of this, and with you too."

Theo was still silent when she finished. Lydia, who was used to him interrupting her all the time, acting like he was the one who was always right, was not believing his attitude. But by the look he had on his face, he wasn't just being polite and listening to what she had to say; Theo didn't seem to know what to say, though she could almost see the engines turning in his head. Lydia didn't understand his confusion, since nothing she said was news to him. What, he hadn't noticed she was unhappy?

"I..." He began, blinking slowly as if he was still organising his thoughts. "I didn't know you felt like this."

Lydia scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Impossible. Fucking _impossible_." When they were away from their audience, she never bothered to hide how much she hated the whole situation. It was simply impossible he hadn't noticed that. "How did you think I felt? You're _making me_ date you, for the love of god!"

Theo blinked, once again taken back by her words. That attitude was starting to piss her off. What the hell was wrong with him?

"But it hasn't been _that_ bad, right?" He asked, opening an uncertain smile that soon vanished. Lydia's jaw dropped to the ground. Now she was the one who didn't know what to say, but she definitely wanted to scream at him.

"Are you crazy?" Lydia yelled, running her hands through her hair in frustration. "Have you lost your mind? Are you high?"

"I think we make a good couple," he said, shrugging, and she never wanted to punch him so bad. "Actually, everybody thinks so."

"Everybody _who_ , Theo? Your brainless friends? Ah, for god's sake! There's nothing good between us because none of this," she frantically gestured to the space between them, "is real."

"Well, this used to be really good." Theo slowly approached her, cornering her against the wall. She stared at him with wide eyes as he leaned his face towards her. "Don't you miss it, Lydia? The moments we spent in these empty classrooms, in my car, in the locker room... Come on, I know you loved it."

"That was before I realized you're a psychopath," she murmured. Theo shook his head.

"That is not true, 'cause psychopaths have no feelings and I like you, Lyd," he said, smiling. "And I know you liked me too. You may not see it now, but we match."

"No. No no no no..." Lydia shook her head furiously, wishing she could unhear those words. That was too much to take. She had taken him to that classroom to put an end to that madness, not to have him opening his heart to her. Whatever the hell that was, she didn't want to know.

"You're too focused on that friend of yours to see it." Theo's eyes were wide and excited, like a child who was staring at their Christmas gift as he grabbed her arms. "Think about it, Lydia, how we look good together, how we work together... Think about the amazing sex we..."

"Oh, my god. Okay. Nope." Lydia slipped out of his grip and put some distance between them, suddenly feeling suffocated. She was really close to throwing up the small breakfast she'd had. "Was that why you came up with the plan? You threatened Stiles because you wanted me to _like_ you?"

"No, I threatened him because he's a jackass and I want him to go fuck himself," he said. "But I have to admit that this deal might turn out as one of the best ideias I have ever had. It's both useful and pleasant and, come on, that's awesome."

Lydia ran her tongue across her bottom lips, breathing deeply before speaking with a very controlled voice.

"I don't know what's useful nor what's slightly pleasant with this stupid plan. But there is something I know." She looked right into his eyes, so he could see how serious she was. "There is nothing, _nothing_ , that would make me hate you any less. You might not be a psychopath, you definitely are really, really stupid. Because threatening my best friend and force me to be your girlfriend to make me like you was honestly... You know what, it's sad. This is a sad plan."

Lydia could feel his irritation grow with every word she said, but she didn't care. She wasn't afraid of him, and there was nothing he could say to scare her.

"You say me match. I disagree, because I have one of the highest IQs in this entire school, and you..." She let out a mocking laugh. "Well, I think I made it clear my opinion about you."

Theo stared back. " _I_ think you're forgetting what is at stake here." His voice was low and cold, just like his blue eyes. "Stiles. You love him, don't you?"

"Leave him out of this..."

"Do you love him or not?" He interrupted her.

"I do," she answered, lifting her chin. "I love him."

"So you should be careful with what you say. What I said weeks ago still counts." Theo took a step closer to her and Lydia gulped. "If you want to quit now, it's fine. But you know there will be consequences. You don't know what I'm capable of, and I'm sure you don't want to find out."

"Stiles is the Sheriff's son, you really think you'll just get away if you do something against him?" She asked, fighting the fear growing in her chest.

Theo smiled smugly. "I'll be discreet."

"But I'll know it was you. My friends, who, unlike yours, have working brains, they will know it was you."

"Good luck with that. You should know that I'm very good with everything that I do." Lydia gritted her teeth, completely disgusted. Theo kept smiling, ignoring the look on her face. "You know, you should enjoy the opportunity of being my girlfriend. Lots of girls would kill to take your place."

"You can give it to them," she grunted,making him laugh. Theo checked his wristwatch and sighed dramatically.

"You made me late for class," he said, shaking his head with fake disappointment. He put a hand on the doorknob and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "See you later, beautiful."

Lydia turned her head like his touch burned her skin. Theo laughed again, probably thinking that was cute, and left her alone in the poor lightened room. 


	16. You Don't Know Her Like I Do

Though Allison swore that Lydia and her had arrived together at school, the redhead didn't show up to any of her classes. And on the next day, no sign of her either.

Stiles texted her every ten minutes and left his phone over his desk, anxiously waiting for an answer. Now he knew how his friends felt the night of the party, when he was the unreachable one. He made a promise to never do that again.

He stared at the door, watching the students enter the room for the last class of the day, still hoping to see the strawberry blonde he had been missing all day. The last person who entered the classroom was Allison, right after the teacher. The girl hurried to the back of the room, sitting beside her friend.

"I spoke to Lydia," she murmured, leaning in his direction. "She told me she may be coming down with a cold and thought it was better to stay home."

Stiles leaned over his desk, furrowing his brow.

"You talked to her?" He asked. "How?"

"I... called her?" Allison answered as if it was too obvious.

Stiles blinked, outraged. "Then why..." The brunette shushed him before the caught the teacher's attention. He resumed his question with a controlled voice. "Why isn't she answering to any of my calls _or_ texts?"

Allison shrugged, her mouth agape as she tried to find a good response to his question. Lydia had been very clear that she wanted to be alone, and Allison had made a promise, but the brunette also knew the boy wasn't going to give up trying to reach Lydia.

"Allison, come on, just tell me," he insisted. "Tell me. Tell me, come on."

The brunette pressed her lips together, pondering for a second. "Lydia's at home," it was all she said before turning her body to the board, but her eyes were meaning enough so he could understand. Stiles nodded to himself and leaned back on his chair, fidgeting with a pen he held between his fingers, his leg bouncing up and down as a sign of his anxiety.

The rest of the class was wasted by his restless mind. Lydia had been monopolizing his thoughts for a while now; he had lost count of how many times he caught himself thinking about her, trying to understand her relationship with Theo. But he couldn't just _think_ anymore, he needed to do something. Lydia had been missing classes for a reason, and Stiles didn't believe it was because of a cold.

So when the bell rang, he stuffed his things in his backpack and bolted out of the classroom, not even noticing Allison's satisfied grin. He walked on the hallway basically pushing people out of his way, trying to get to his Jeep as fast as he could.

"Hey!" A firm hand grabbed his shoulder, making him spin on his heels and face Malia, who smiled at him. "Why are you in such a hurry? You're looking for me?"

"I, ahn... I was..." Truth was that Stiles hadn't remembered that he was supposed to study with Malia that afternoon. Instead of making something up, he made some wide gestures towards his car, wordlessly showing that he had to go. The blonde shrugged and walked by his side to the Jeep. Before she could grab the door handle, he turned to her and blurted out: "I need to stop at Lydia's first."

Malia frowned, crossing her arms on her chest. "Why?"

"Because I'm worried about her and it's about time I do something about it," he said at once. The blonde raised her eyebrows and let her arms fall to her sides, surprised to hear him say that. Stiles watched her carefully, knowing that a discussion was coming their way, but not wanting to avoid it this time.

Malia wet her lips, shaking her head. "I don't understand where all this worry is coming from."

"You really don't think there's nothing wrong going on between them?" Stiles stepped closer, gesturing wildly with his hands to make a point. "You really don't see a problem? All this shit makes sense to you?"

"Yes! It always did!" Malia threw her hands in the air, frustrated. "Why can't you just accept it? Lydia already told you a million times that everything is fine, that she likes Theo, what else do you want?"

"It's obvious that he's doing something to her. Lydia is not acting like herself..."

"Have you stopped to think that maybe you're so used to wait until it's your cue to save her fucking day, that you're finding problems solve even when there are none?!" She asked, not bothering to keep her tone down and not caring about the people around them.

"You don't know her like I do!" He retorted even louder. Stiles spared a glance at the people paying attention to their right and took a deep breath, controlling his voice. "Lydia and I have been friends for a long time, Malia. We lost touch during the last years, but I still know her like the back of my hand"

"Did you become a Lydia Martin specialist before or after you fell in love with her?"

Stiles blinked and straightened his back, taken back by the sudden blow. Malia closed her eyes for a moment, regretting her words. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that. I just can't believe we're fighting because of her again."

"We wouldn't need to fight if you understood that she's important to me too," he deadpanned. The blonde ran her hand through her hair, impatient.

"But how do you think it makes me feel, hun? You keep chasing after this girl!" She nearly screamed.

"I'm sorry, I can't stop caring about her just to please you. It doesn't work like this."

"It could, but you can't help it because it's part of who you are. You'll never be 100% with me, because part of you will still be waiting for Lydia. I wish I could change that, but I can't. And neither can you, apparently."

Malia didn't have tears in her eyes, but the sadness in them disarmed him. Stiles didn't know what say because she was right, every word she said had been true; he was being selfish and he really couldn't help it, he couldn't push Lydia away from his life.

She sighed. "Whatever. I'll find a way to get home," she said. By her tone of voice, she really didn't want him to try to change her mind, so Stiles nodded, defeated, and watched her walk away. He noticed, with a tightness in his heart, that she was wearing one of his many plaid shirts, and it felt like a cruel reminder of everything he could be losing.

Stiles climbed in the car and started the engine, leaving the parking space. He drove through the well-known streets until he reached Lydia's white house and parked by the sidewalk. He took a deep breath and left his car before he changed his mind. He rang the doorbell and fidget with his keys as he waited.

Monica opened the door and smiled widely when she saw the boy standing there. "Stiles!"

He smiled back. "Hi, aunt Monica." The woman stepped forward to give him a quick hug, which he returned. Monica, who never planned to have kids, had adopted Lydia's friends as her nephews, which was why they were so fond of her.

"It's been awhile since I last saw you. Won't you stop growing?" Stiles laughed when she stood on her tiptoes to ruffle his already messy hair. "Come on in. You came to see the princess upstairs, didn't you."

He scratched the back of his neck as he stepped inside the house. "Yeah, I... Yeah."

"Great! Lydia's been so down lately, if your visit doesn't cheer her up, I don't know what will." Monica patted him lightly on the cheek, and he blushed. "Go on."

Stiles nodded, gave her a quick kiss on her cheek and went to the stairs. He crossed the upstairs hallway and took another deep breath before knocking twice on the door.

"Monica, I'm still not hu..." Lydia said as she opened the door, but her voice died and her eyes widened as soon as she saw who was standing on the other side.

"Good thing that the stock of snacks in my backpack ended yesterday, then," he said, in a failed attempt to break the ice.

Lydia gulped and crossed her arms. Stiles noticed how fragile she looked with her wet hair falling around her face and the oversized clothes that swallowed her petite body.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, casting her eyes down.

After her conversation with Theo, Lydia felt like disappearing. Things had become too complicated, too suffocating, and she was tired. It felt like Theo was holding her in his hands, crushing her, turning her into nothing. All she wanted to do was to curl up alone in her room, the only place where she could be herself, think freely, breathe normally. Having Stiles around was dangerous, especially when she was ready to break at any moment. He couldn't be her safe haven anyone; actually, she should be running away from him.

"We need to talk," he answered.

"Could it be another time? I really..."

"Ahn... Nope. Sorry." Stiles walked past her and entered her room, taking a seat on the chair by her desk. "It has to be now."

Lydia sighed. She lowered her head and closed her eyes, wishing she would go away.

"Seriously, Stiles, I'm not feeling very well."

"Exactly, that's why I'm here. You're not fine and I can't stand seeing you like this anymore." He looked at her with exasperation in his eyes; he wanted her to understand he couldn't wait any longer. Lydia sighed again and closed the door, then slowly turned around to face her friend and hugged herself. Since she didn't look like she was willing to say much, he started to speak his mind. "Ever since you started dating Theo, you haven't been yourself. You're distant, and unhappy... And for some reason you're lying about it, you keep trying to convince us that you're fine. I'm not saying this because I hate Theo, but it's obvious that he's not good for you. Something's not right, and it hasn't been for a while."

While she listened, Lydia sat on her messy bed, put her elbows on her knees and covered her face with her hands. After a few seconds of silence, she ran her hands through her damp hair, keeping her eyes down.

"What do you want me to say?" She asked with a tired voice.

"Tell me I'm right. Tell me... Tell me what to do. Anything."

"There's nothing you can do because there's nothing to be done." Lydia felt his eyes watching her carefully, and a lump grew in her throat. She couldn't risk looking in his eyes; it would make it even easier to fall apart. "Theo and I are together because we like each other and... and you can't change that."

Stiles didn't believe a word she say - It was so absurd that it almost made him laugh, not because the probability that it could be true was really low, but because even she didn't seem to believe what she was saying. Her tone of voice was dead, her face was completely joyless, and those weren't signs of someone who was theoretically in a happy relationship.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked. Lydia shut her eyes, because that felt like torture.

"Stiles, please, just go..."

"No, Lydia." Stiles left the chair and kneeled beside her legs. He saw her inhale deeply when he grabbed her hand. "Look at me."

Lydia bit her bottom lips, holding back the tears. She lifted her head and her green eyes finally met his, and they weren't plain brown as she thought they were. His eyes had a richer tone, ambar. His hand was warm and a little rough, and had a tight grip on her tiny one.

"Stiles," she whispered, her voice failing.

"Tell me you like him. But be honest." His eyes roamed around her face, taking in every inch of her beauty. "Tell me you love him."

Lydia opened her mouth to answer, but she couldn't. She couldn't lie in that moment because she was naked of all her protections; Stiles brought up a simpler version of Lydia, the honest one, the one that hide easily. So at the same time that tears filled her eyes, she nodded, on a last attempt to sustain the lie.

"Then why are you crying?" He softly asked. A tear rolled down Lydia's cheek and fell on her lap. That was enough for Stiles to stop waiting for an answer took her in his arms. Lydia didn't push him away, she let him sit by her side and hold her against his chest. She didn't want to fight; she _needed_ that embrace, she needed to crumble.

So she pulled him closer, burying her face on the crook of his neck. Stiles held her tightly, and she gladly accepted it. Silent tears fell from her green eyes, staining his shirt. Her heart was aching in her chest, but she breathed with relief. She felt at home, comforted, loved. The heat from his body reached her bones, it warmed her whole figure, it made her feel more alive.

"Just hold me, okay? Don't let me go," she whispered, shutting her eyes.

"I won't. I won't." In that moment, Stiles hadn't even considered doing so. There was something magical about holding Lydia in his arms. Maybe it was the sweet, intoxicating smell of her damp hair, or the feeling that he could protect her from everything while she was there. Regardless of the reason, he would like to keep her there forever. Stiles didn't want to know what that meant; that moment was all about Lydia, he was there for her and he would do anything for her.

"I am trying to protect you," she blurted out. Stiles frowned.

"Protect me from what?" He asked, but she didn't answer, though she knew she couldn't keep the truth from him anymore. Stiles broke the hug and put her hands on her shoulder, looking intensively at her. "Lydia?"

The girl sighed. She really didn't have an option, she had to tell him everything, and maybe it was the best thing she could do. Or maybe it was the worst thing, she wouldn't know until she told him.

"Lydia...?"

"Theo. I'm protecting you from Theo," she said. Stiles looked at her like she had spoken in another language.

"What are you talking about?"

Lydia put a strand of hair behind her ear and changed her position on the bed, turning her body so it was facing him.

"Theo... He wanted revenge because of the fight. He didn't say what he was planning to do, but he kept threatening him and I didn't..." Lydia took a deep breath to calm herself down. "I didn't want anything to happen to you, so we made a deal. I would be his fake girlfriend, and he would leave you alone."

Her words seemed to have slapped him across the face. Stiles' mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide as two plates, and it would be a funny scene if the situation wasn't so serious.

"But this... You don't... Why did he..." Stiles kept trying to come up with a question, but her mind was still trying to digest that madness. "Holy fuck!"

Lydia let out a humorless laugh. "Yeah, I know."

"Lydia, what the fuck?!" He ran a hand through his hair. "What does that mean? Why did you say yes?"

"I didn't have another option, okay?" She defended herself. "He was being serious and I was scared. I just said yes."

"What exactly did he want from this?" He asked, indignant. Stiles never imagined someone could do something as crazy as that, but it wasn't surprising that Theo would be that much of a jerk. "If his problem was with me, why would he do that to you?"

"Theo knew that dating me would upset you. He wanted to make you jealous." Lydia wet her lips. She decided not to tell him why she thought Theo's plan wasn't working; that was a discussion she'd rather not have. "But then he told me he was... _interested_ in me, and he wanted me to learn to like him or something like that."

Lydia tried to keep her face as nonchalant as possible, but she watched his expression be taken over by anger. His eyes became darker. Stiles was hit by a wave of pure hatred that locked his muscles. That was worse than he thought. Way worse. Lydia didn't deserve to go through that because of a mess that he had made; Stiles would gladly accept more punches on his face if it would spare her all that trouble. He didn't know if he was angrier at Theo or at himself.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked, grabbing her hand again. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I couldn't, it was part of the deal," she answered, looking at their joined hands. "I had to convince everybody."

Stiles rubbed his eyes with his free hand, sighing heavily. "You shouldn't have said yes," he murmured. "I caused all this, I should be the one trying to make it right. You should have let him..."

Lydia shook her head vigorously. "Nope, no way. I wasn't gonna let him get near you. Fine, I didn't think much before saying yes, but that was the only way to protect you from him, so of course I said yes. I wouldn't let you get hurt again because of me."

The words were gone from his head, just like his anger. Stiles stared at her with #cara de bobo. That conversation was like a roller coaster ride.

Lydia shouldn't have said that; it made it really hard for him to fight the feelings that always threatened to come back. Those words would have filled a younger Stiles with a hope that shouldn't exist, but now it only confused him. He was suddenly well aware of her small and soft hand intertwined with his, and of her knee touching his leg.

"Stiles?"

"Hm?"

"Why are looking at like like that?" Lydia raised an eyebrow, with a small smile playing on her lips. "You're not surprised, are you?"

"W-what do you mean?" He asked, blinking fast.

"With what I said. You know I would do anything for you."

"No, I... I mean yes, of course I know that..."

"Because you're my best friend."

"Yes, exactly!" He quickly agreed. "You're my best friend and I would do anything for you, too... Really, anything. Except things like, I don't know, climb the Everest, because you know I'm not the most athletic person. Unless you got taken hostage by some crazy alpinist, because then I would have to find a way to get up there. Except for mountains, vulcans or anything like that, I would do anything. Maybe juggling wouldn't be such a great idea either..."

"Stiles, I get it," Lydia interrupted him, laughing. The boy gave her a smile that didn't say much; on the inside, he was taken over by a sudden and scary urge to kiss her, which took him by surprise. Stiles fought to keep his expression cool and relaxed while dealing with his ridiculously racing heart. How did he go from a very serious matter like Theo's plan to a moment like that? Lydia had this annoying power of hijacking his attention, and he never learned to be immune to that.

"Break up with Theo," he said, refocusing on the real problem. "End this. I don't want this guy close to you anymore."

Lydia widened her eyes, her smile vanishing from her lips. "You don't understand, he will..."

"I'm not afraid of him. He has a problem with me, then I'll handle it."

She closed her eyes and sighed. Stiles tightened his grip on her hand. "Hey, it's gonna be alright. Don't worry."

Lydia looked at his eyes, wanting to believe him with everything she got, and nodded. She had no idea what was going to happen, and honestly she didn't want to find out, but she felt and ending coming up, and that was enough to calm her down. 


	17. It's Not A Flaw

Lydia wasn't sure about how she was supposed to react when saw Stiles sitting on her kitchen the next morning. Monica and him talked like old friends, and the girl quickly picked up the topic of the conversation as being Star Wars, an all time favorite for the both of them. Stiles devoured a pile of waffles as he spoke, his words coming out muffled because of his full mouth. Monica didn't mind, she seemed to find it funny.

"Hum... Good morning?" Lydia said, watching that scene with confusion all over her face. Monica and Stiles, who hadn't noticed her presence there, looked at her with widened eyes.

"Lydia!" Monica said cheerfully, jumping from her chair, walking to her niece and pulling her by the arm. Stiles waved and smiled the best way he could with his mouth full of waffle.

"What is happening?" The girl asked, eyeing the two suspiciously

"Stiles came to take you to school, but you were still getting ready..."

"And have you tasted these waffles?" He asked after swallowing. "It's like eating happiness for breakfast."

"You have eaten my waffles before, Stiles."

He shrugged. "I know, but they never cease to amaze me," he said, making Monica laugh.

Lydia forced a small laugh. "Stiles, can we talk for a minute?" She asked, raising her eyebrows suggestively as she looked at him, hoping he would somehow read her mind.

"Oh no, eat first," Monica said, putting a plate in front of her niece and serving her waffles. Lydia opened her mouth to refuse the amount of food she was getting, which was way too much, given that she never ate much in the morning, but her aunt gave her a warning look. "Lydia."

"Eat the waffles," Stiles supported Monica.

"But I..."

"Lydia, _the waffles_."

The girl held back a frustrated grunt and started eating. If Stiles was there to pick her up, they needed to be out the door quickly, because Theo would be there at any minute. She had no idea what his reaction would be once he saw Stiles there, but it would definitely be the kind of agitation she liked to avoid at that time in the morning. Stiles clearly understood the seriousness of the situation, but he didn't seem to care much about it; he deliberately ignored the looks Lydia sent him, acting like that was just an ordinary breakfast.

Lydia swallowed half of the waffles on her plate, drank all the orange juice on her glass and jumped out of her chair.

"Come on, Stiles, I don't wanna be late," she urged. The boy checked the time on his phone, then picked up his mug and leaned back lazily on his chair.

"We still got time," he said, taking a sip of his coffee. Lydia restrained herself to not drag him by the hair. Why was he doing that? Couldn't he see how anxious she was?

"Well, I'll go finish getting ready," Monica said, putting the plates in the sink. She kissed Stiles on the head and gave her niece a quick hug, murmuring: "Stiles is a far better ride than that jackass boyfriend you picked up. Just saying."

Without waiting for an answer, the woman climbed the stairs to her room. Lydia agreed with her; every minute she spent with Stiles was a thousand times better than all the time she had to spend with Theo.

"Stiles, what are you doing?!" She half whispered, half yelled. "Theo's gonna be here any minute now!"

"And...?

"And?!" Lydia buried her hand in her hair, nervous to the point of wanting to yank them off.

"Do you really think I'm gonna let you get in the car with him?" Stiles shook his head, drinking the rest of the coffee in his mug, then getting up and walking to the sink. Lydia could understand what he was doing, and she appreciated that he was taking care of her, but that wasn't the best way to deal with that situation. She didn't have time to try to convince him of that before they hear an insistent car honk from outside the house. Lydia's eyes bulged while Stiles opened a devilish smile. "Now we're going."

"Shit," she murmured, grabbing her bag and rushing out of the kitchen. She pushed the door open with a little more strength than necessary, and found Theo leaning on the hood of his car with his arms crossed on his chest, staring at her with a hard expression on his face. Stiles popped up by her side and Theo didn't seem surprised; after all, beside his expensive car there was a very distinctive, beaten up blue Jeep. Standing between the two boys, the tension was so much that could almost be touched.

"What is he doing here?" Theo asked through his gritted teeth.

"The party is for guests only, sorry," Stiles said with a convinced smile on his lips, before the girl could open her mouth to answer. "You invitation must have gotten lost in the mail... But I really think no one actually sent it 'cause, you know, nobody wants you here."

"Excuse me?" Theo asked, slowly approaching them like a tiger. His blue eyes were focused on Stiles, and they burned. "What is he doing here?" He asked again.

"I already answered that," Stiles said, leaving Lydia's side and standing in front of her, face to face with Theo. "You're the one who's not wanted here."

"Oh no?" Theo arched an eyebrow, looking at Lydia, who gulped. That was it, she thought. Hes was going to find out she told Stiles everything and they were going to get fucked. "Lydia?" He pressed, and she noticed his hands were shaking. Lydia felt the waffled she had just eaten revolving in her stomach. They could be a few seconds away from the second round of their fight, right there, on her doorstep, with her aunt upstairs.

Theo took a step towards her, but Stiles put his body on the way. The closer they got, the bigger the chances of a disaster. Anger floated from the both of them, they were a bomb ready to go off.

Lydia interrupted their staring by loudly closing the door behind her. She grabbed both of their arms and dragged them to the sidewalk like two naughty boys. She took a deep breath as she brushed her hair off her face, then turned to Theo.

"Not that it's any of your business, but Stiles came to pick me up and stayed for breakfast. He's always welcome in my house, which is something I can't say about you," she said, forcing herself to look him in the eye. "And for now on, you don't have to bother showing up here every morning, I'm not going anywhere with you anymore. By the way, I don't want to be _near_ you anymore. So goodbye."

As soon as she stopped talking, Lydia grabbed Stiles' arm and dragged him towards the Jeep. The boy climbed in the car with a stunned smile on his face.

"Wow, what was _that_?"

"That was me breaking up with him, now open this fucking door," she said, loud enough so only he could hear her. Stiles stretched his arm and unlocked the passenger door, which she hurriedly pulled open. "Go, go, go, go," Lydia urged him even before closing the door beside her. Stiles scrambled with the keys and had to try the engine twice before getting them out of there.

"Lydia, that was..." He started saying, as if he had just watched an epic movie scene. Lydia surprised him with a slap on his arm. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"Are you insane?!" She nearly yelled. "I told you to let me handle Theo!"

"Ahn, you never told me..."

"If you two started throwing punches at each other, what was I supposed to do? Spray water at you?" Lydia wiggled her arms as she spoke. "Why did you suddenly decide to pick me up? Weren't you supposed to drive Malia to school?"

"We... Allison is driving her today," he answered, furrowing his brow. "Was my surprise that bad?"

The girl sighed. "No, it's not that..."

"I swear to god that if you say that his car is better than mine, you're gonna walk to school."

"Ugh no, god, no. I never ever want to be in his car again." Lydia shivered just by thinking about it. "I'm just saying that a thousand things could have happened from the moment Theo saw you. That could have ended really bad, we need to be careful, Stiles..."

"I told you I'm not scared of that asshole."

"But I am, okay? I'm fucking terrified!" The girl nervously licked her bottom lip and sighed. "I can't stop thinking about the things he could do if he founds out... when he finds out, actually. The threats he's been making sound like bullshit, but if they're not... I don't know what's gonna happen, and I hate not knowing things, just like I hate seeing you in danger like this."

Stiles took one of his hands off the steering wheel and searched for hers, squeezing it. He stopped looking at the street in front of them for a second, laying his eyes on her.

"Lyds, Theo might be a huge and mentally unstable guys, but I don't think he would do something that horrible, not in a city like Beacon Hills, where most of its action happens at the preserve with the wolves that show up there sometimes. He's not crazy enough to want to go to jail. You have to stop thinking about these things." Stiles smiled lightly. "Plus, I know some moves, I can take that jackass down whenever I want."

Lydia gave him a weak smile in return, then closed her eyes and reclined her head on the seat. He was right, she had to stop thinking so much about what could happen, or else she'd go insane. She wished it was that easy to clear her always active mind.

"What happened between Malia and you, anyway? Is everything alright?" She asked, changing the subject. Stiles let go of her hand and put his back on the street wheel. The girl noticed his posture get stiffer, and he pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Honestly, I don't know," he answered, sighing deeply. "We got into a big fight yesterday, I don't know what's coming next."

"Oh, no. What happened?" The boy looked at her sincerely concerned face and let out a short, dry laugh.

"It was because of you, actually," he said. Lydia frowned, her green eyes bulging in surprise. "Well, not exactly, but in a certain way, yes. It was because of you, but it was partly my fault, partly Malia's. Mostly my fault than hers. Neither of us was wrong, but anyway... You were the main topic."

She stared at him with her mouth hanging open. "What did I do?" She asked, completely confused.

"No, nothing, you didn't do anything," he hurriedly said, not at all wanting her to feel responsible for the fight.

"Then how...?"

"Malia is jealous of you. She thinks I care too much, and that I protect you too much and it really bothers her," he told her. Yes, he was sharing personal details of his relationship with Lydia, but it was about her too. But Stiles was definitely not telling her that the main reason of Malia's jealousy was her awareness of the feelings he used to have towards Lydia. That would be too much information.

The redhead nodded slowly, looking at her hands resting on her lap. "The day after the party... You two were fighting because of me too, weren't you?"

"Well, yes. She didn't like the way I defended you." _And she liked even less after she found out I used to be in love with you_ , he mentally added. Lydia shook her head and sunk on her seat, sighing. Stiles could see how bad she felt for causing those fights. He knew what she was thinking - that she caused damage everywhere she went,- and it wasn't true. "Hey, stop, none of this is your fault."

"How come this isn't my fault? You..."

"It isn't your fault," he insisted. "There are no guilty parties. Malia has the right to be jealous and I... I..." Stiles took a deep breath and quickly wet his lips, shooing away the hesitation to speak his mind. "I don't know how to be someone who doesn't care about you, and I don't know how to care less. This is _in_ me, and maybe it's a flaw, I don't know, but it's something I don't wanna lose... And that's the problem."

The girl stayed in silence, and he was scared to look at her. Stiles had gotten too close to showing her a part of him she never got to know; the part of him that was still a little crazy about her, that still wanted her, that he couldn't insist that was gone anymore. It was something that he always tried to hide from her.

Lydia stared at him with adoration. It was amazing how the same guy who could barely control the words that came out of his mouth when he was nervous, sometimes seemed to choose them carefully just to make her feel silly. Her heart felt warm just like the rest of her body, and she suddenly felt like giggling. Couldn't he notice the effects that his words had on her?

"It's not a flaw," she softly said, still keeping her eyes on him. Stiles arched his eyebrows, looking at her with a surprise that she didn't really understand. Her big green eyes smiled at him, her strawberry blonde swaying lightly with the wind coming from the open windows and she had her full, red lip between her teeth. _Beautiful_ , he thought. _You're beautiful._

He stared at her with intensity and she didn't look away. That moment was all about them. Lydia thought about the desire she had to touch him, to draw him closer and hug him tight. Stiles was thinking that, for the love of all that was holy, he could not fall in love with her again. But his mind didn't seem to have control over his body anymore, which insisted on feeling the same way as when he was a kid. How could he fight when every fiber of his being wanted her?

Stiles rip his eyes off of her, refocusing on driving the car.

"Hm, okay, ahn..." He stuttered in an attempt to fill the silence. "Look, we're here!" _Finally,_ he thought.

Lydia blinked and sat straighter on the seat, feeling a little stunned. Stiles parked the Jeep on the first empty spot he found and stared at the windshield. She opened the door and climbed out, smoothing down her skirt as she walked.

"You're not coming?" She asked, stopping by his window when she noticed he hadn't moved an inch.

"No, I... I'm gonna wait for Scott... Lacrosse, you know..." He vaguely answered, moving his hand around. Lydia shrugged and leaned over his window, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for the ride." She smiled as she turned around and resumed her way to the building.

Stiles inhaled deeply, then slowly let out the air in his lungs. That was really happening, he couldn't run anymore. With a shiver running down his spine, he realized he needed to break up with Malia.


	18. You're A Coward

That day had started in an unusual away, and, except for that particular moment in the Jeep, it didn't get any better.

After the encounter of Theo and Stiles on her doorstep, Lydia knew that something was going to happen. She was sure Theo had connected the dots and figured out that their deal wasn't a secret anymore, so all she could do was wait for his reaction. Which was definitely going to be bad. Really bad. He would at least make a scene in the hallway, with lots of screaming and cursing. She didn't even want to picture the worst case scenario. Whatever was going to happen, it would be soon.

But she was wrong. Nothing happened.

Her muscles froze when she spotted Theo walking down the hallway along with his burly friends. Lydia was already used to that feeling - after all, seeing him had stopped being a pleasurable experience a long time ago,- but that time was worse. It was like watching an accident happen in slow motion, he was getting closer and she was waiting to see what happened. His blue eyes acknowledged her, but they didn't really focus on her; Theo kept talking to his friends and walked past her as if she wasn't even there. Lydia blinked, surprised, but she didn't mind being ignored, even if it meant that something bad was coming up.

His behavior didn't change during the day. Theo didn't look at her, let alone talked to her. He acted like nothing happened, it was almost like they never even met. Somehow it was funny seeing him ignoring her like a kid mad at their own mommy.

Lydia put some books inside of her locker and shut it. She turned her body to go to the cafeteria when she spotted Scott marching in her direction. The girl raised a hand to wave, but was caught off guard when he took her in his arms and gave her a bear hug. She giggled, surprised, and pat him lightly on the back.

"Wow, what was that for?" she asked when he let her go.

"Stiles told me everything," he answered, looking at her with caution. Lydia raised her eyebrows.

"Oh." It was not so surprising anymore, given that Stiles always told Scott everything. Plus, she also had shared the story with her best friend.

"Lydia, I..." Scott raised his hands then dropped them on his sides, not knowing what to say. "I'm so sorry you had to go through this alone."

"It's okay, I'm just glad that everybody knows now." Lydia sighed. "But honestly, I don't know what's gonna happen now, and Stiles thinks he should solve this problem with Theo alone..."

Scott waved his hand with indifference. "Nah, he doesn't know what he's saying. You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us, right?" The boy leaned over so his eyes would be on the same level as hers. "Everything is gonna be fine, we'll take care of this together."

Lydia nodded, smiling back. Scott did the same and straightened his back, placing an arm around her shoulders. She put an arm around his waist and they walked together to the cafeteria, where they picked up their food and went to the table where their friends were sitting. The redhead immediately noticed that Malia wasn't there. Stiles seemed upset and Allison had a hand on his shoulder, apparently comforting him. But when he spotted the two teenagers coming to join them, a smile quickly grew on his lips.

"Hey, the pack is back together and back in the game!" He cheerfully announced while they sat down. Allison frowned.

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't know, I just wanted to express my satisfaction now that everyone is familiar with the situation," he explained, waving his hands, then shrugged.

"And now that we're all familiar with the situation," Scott continued, "we can start coming up with a plan to take Theo down."

"Take Theo down?" Allison scoffed and shook her head. "Scott, this isn't an action movie, we can't take anyone down."

"Scott could," Stiles joked, slapping his friend's muscular bicep. "But I agree with Allison, we shouldn't do anything..."

"That is so not what I said..."

"And I actually think you shouldn't get involved at all with this, his beef is with me."

Scott looked at Lydia, who just raised her hands as if saying "what did I tell you?"

"Stiles, that's the most ridiculous thing I've heard today," Allison said.

"What? It's true!"

"No, it's bullshit and you know it. His _beef_ or whatever stopped being with you the moment he got Lydia involved with that shit plan. Now, I know that you can easily win him over on a fight..."

"Thank you."

"But I would like to punch him in the face too, if I had the chance."

"You and me both," Lydia agreed, giving her friend a high-five. The boys looked at them with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, fine, we can take turns," Stiles agreed, waving his hand. "But this 'big revenge'," he air quoted, " Theo is planning is technically still a secret, so if we're going to do something, we should do it before he attacks... Right?"

Allison rolled her eyes. "Again, this is not an action movie, he can't _attack_ anyone."

"Actually, he can," Scott said. "Theo's always been pretty violent at playing lacrosse. The coach loves it, but honestly, I wouldn't like to play against him."

"Well, then he can't attack _me_ , I'm benched for life," Stiles muttered,twirling a noodle on his fork. "And he can't do anything during practice either, the coach would be pissed at him. So, basically, nothing can really happen during lacrosse."

"There's still a large number of things he could do to get his revenge," Lydia said. "Theo might be crazy, and like Scott said, he's violent, but he's calculating as hell. I doubt he'll jump you in the middle of the hallway or something like that. But he seems to be capable of doing some pretty... bad stuff."

Their table went silent as her words sunk in. The mood didn't match very well with a lunch with friends, especially in a very loud cafeteria.

"We could kidnap him," Stiles suggested with his mouth full of spaghetti. The girls looked at him with the same expression that meant "seriously?". Scott leaned over the table, showing interest.

"I'm listening," he said, taking a sip of his soda. The other boy swallowed his spaghetti and leaned in too.

"So, we sedate him after practice, then we throw him in the Jeep and take him to..." Stiles thought about it for a second, then widened his eyes and snapped his fingers. "To Allison's house!"

"My house?!"

"Yeah, 'cause your dad got all those cool weapons and knives and things that hurt in general."

"You wanna torture Theo with my dad's collection, really? That's your plan?" Allison raised her eyebrows in an intimidating that made him shake his head vehemently. "That's what I thought."

"What if we tied him to a tree? The preserve is really gloomy at night," Scott suggested.

"What were you doing..." His girlfriend began asked, but changed her opinion when she saw the look the boys exchanged. "Nevermind, I don't wanna know."

"Why don't one of us show up in his room in the middle of the night dressed as death and list the horrible things that can happen to him if he doesn't stop being an asshole?" Lydia suggested with irony. Allison laughed, finding her idea completely ridiculous, but Stiles stared the redhead with his jaw slightly dropped.

"That's genius," he murmured, and Lydia rolled her eyes.

"No, Stiles." She ran a hand across her face, frustrated. "There's nothing we could do to make him give up on this revenge. We can't even go to the police. Theo told me he would be careful not to get caught."

"There's no perfect crime," Scott said.

"You think Theo's gonna commit a crime against me?" Stiles asked, looking at his friends with widened eyes. "A crime?!"

"You were the one talking about kidnapping!" The other defended himself.

"You think he's gonna kidnap me?!" Stiles nearly yelled, then spared a look at the people who started to notice his loud reactions and leaned closer to the table. "But that wouldn't be discreet at all, right? I mean, it would make it too easy for anyone to find out he did it."

"That only eliminates the possibility of kidnapping," Allison darkly added..

Once more, the four of them went silent. This time, they were thinking about what kind of messed up thing Theo could do, and none of them felt like saying those things out loud. Mostly by instinct, Lydia reached out for Stiles' hand, resting on the table, and held it tightly. She lifted her head and their eyes met. The boy pressed his lips together when he saw the fear in her eyes and squeezed her hand, gently caressing her knuckles. Lydia took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Okay, let me press pause on this moment and say that you're wasting a surprisingly good spaghetti by ruminating this shit," Stiles said, trying to lighten the mood on the table. "It's not gonna change anything. So I suggest that we eat now and worry about being the Scooby-Doo gang another time, alright?"

He raised his eyes with expectation to his friends, who couldn't help but smile at his ridiculous comparison.

"You're Scooby," Scott stated, grabbing his fork. Stiles stared at him with a completely offended expression on his face, and both of the girls rolled their eyes as they began to argue.

Xxxx

His muscles were still sore and tired when he came out of the shower. Even though he never got to leave the game, Stiles never caught a break from the lacrosse coach, who wanted everyone on the team to be ready to play at any time. After class, the whole team practiced like their lives depended on it, aiming for a better score in their next game.

"Ready to go?" Scott asked, hanging his duffel bag on his shoulder. Stiles gestured widely to his own body, covered only by a towel wrapped around his waist. "All you had to do was say no, you moron."

"I'm not ready, Scott."

"Well, I already know that, you... You know what, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Scott waved his hand and left the locker room.

Stiles laughed and turned back to his locker, grabbing another towel and ruffled his wet hair. He put on deodorant and dressed clean clothes, then grabbed his sneakers and sat on a bench to put them on.

"Stiles," a masculine voice called. He straightened his back and realized that the locker room was now empty except for Theo, who was leaning on the lockers.

"What do you want?" Stiles dryly asked, going back to tie his shoes.

"I think it's time you and I have a little talk," Theo said, leaving his spot and standing in front of the other guy.

"You really think so, hum?" Stiles finished with his shoes and stood up, crossing his arms on his chest. "I'm listening."

"As you know, Lydia and I are in a relationship..."

Stiles couldn't help but laugh. "Ok, let me stop you right there," he said, raising a finger. "What relationship?"

"And I don't like you meddling in" Theo continued, ignoring him. "You're a bad influence to Lydia and I want you to stay away from her."

Stiles stared at him with an incredulous smile on his lips. It was almost like he was sitting on the front row to watch an exhibition of Theo's twisted mind, and if he wasn't right there to see it, he would have a hard time believing it happened.

"This is... Unbelievable." He let out a short laugh. "Man, you're crazy."

"I told Lydia to stay away from _you_ , but now I see who keeps running after who," Theo kept saying with his monotone voice. Even though the absurd that was that conversation amused him, Stiles wanted to slap the guy across the face. Theo didn't even seem to believe his own words; he just acted like a robot reading a script.

"Look, man, I don't know if you're saying this because you actually believe that you and Lydia are dating or because you're having a hard time believing that no one, I repeat, _no one_ is buying this shit," Stiles said. Theo only narrowed his eyes. "Whatever it is, it's gone too far. And, you know what, I've been wanting to have this talk too. Let's talk about your revenge against me."

The blonde guy sighed deeply. "Damn it, Lydia," he murmured almost to himself. Stiles arched an eyebrow.

"Ahn..."

"She told you, didn't she?" Theo asked, suddenly yelling. "That bitch couldn't keep her mouth shut, she had to go an tell you everything!"

"Hey, don't call her..."

"Fuck, Lydia, why did you have to break our deal?!" He kept yelling. "You had to ruin everything, you selfish bitch!"

"Alright, that's enough!" Stiles yelled even louder. He didn't even care that he had to keep the secret anymore. "Lydia told me about your plan, yes, and that was the best thing she could have done. Did you think she could stand being your fake girlfriend forever?"

"She shouldn't have opened her mouth, she knew about the consequences." Theo opened a sinister smile. "Maybe Lydia just don't care."

Stiles balled his fist, fighting himself not to bury them in Theo's face. The guy was desperate to believe that Lydia still had some kind of affection for him, and though that was sad, Stiles felt no sympathy.

"So what are the consequences?" He asked, stepping closer. "Because I doubt you have the courage to do what you said you would."

"You shouldn't doubt me," the other said, unmoving.

"Oh, but I do. You're a coward."

With a quick movement that took the guy by surprise, Theo held Stiles by the collar of his shirt and pushed him hard against the lockers. Stiles groaned when the air left his lungs.

"Think about what you're gonna say," the blonde said through his gritted teeth.

"You're a coward," Stiles repeated. "You could have settled your problems with me, but you choose to put Lydia in the middle of it. To me, that's a coward move."

"You won one fight against me, Stilinski, and I was drunk. I don't think you should be that proud."

"Challenge me then, if you don't think I can win another one." Stiles opened a mocking smile and tilted his head to the side. "I believe your plan was to make Lydia fall for you all along. Did you also threaten all the girls that hooked up with you? That's really sad, Theo."

"You talk about cowardice," the other said. "But does Lydia know you've been in love with her since, like, third grade?"

Stiles' smile immediately vanished from his face, and then it was time for Theo to smile.

"Aw, come on, you've never been so good at hiding it," the blonde answered the unasked question. "It's always been obvious. You know, the difference between you and me is that I go after the things I want. Lydia is different from all the girls I've ever been with and I wanted her - I _want_ her to be mine."

"Lydia is not an object for you to own."

"Whatever. The plan would have worked if she hadn't fucked it up."

"So let's jump to the consequences," Stiles defied him with pure hatred glowing in his eyes. "Let's get it over with."

Theo narrowed his eyes, apparently considering the idea. Stiles wished he'd say yes; he just wanted the chance to end the guy right there, make him pay for everything he had done. But the blonde slowly shook his head and let go of Stiles shirt, stepping back.

"Not not, Stilinski, your time will come." Theo wet his lips and smile, though his eyes remained cold. "You can chill, 'cause I'm not in a hurry."

With that, Theo left the locker room, leaving Stiles with a lot to think about and no chill at all.


	19. It's The Unplanned Moments

"Are you sure Malia won't mind if I go with Stiles, right?" Lydia asked, holding her phone between her ear and her shoulder as she rummaged through her wardrobe.

"Ahm, no? At least she didn't say anything about it," Allison answered from the other side. "Why would she mind?"

"I don't know..." The redhead sighed. She wondered how Malia would feel seeing her boyfriend giving the girl she basically hates a ride. And they were going to spend hours in that car. Lydia didn't want the blonde to hate her even more, just like she didn't want to cause any more trouble. "Maybe I should get a taxi or something."

"Lydia, you would pay a fortune. My car is full and Stiles lives, like, right next you," the brunette said, not understanding her friend's hesitation. "What's the matter?"

The matter was that the relationship between Malia and Stiles was going downhill, though they never ever talked about it. Malia barely looked at him in the eyes, and Stiles had already given up trying to reach out to her. The air was always tense when they were together, and now that happened less often. Lydia hated it because, even though Stiles kept saying that it wasn't her fault, she well aware that it was.

"Nothing," she quickly answered. "I'll start getting ready now. See you at the party."

"Ok, see ya." Allison was clearly still finding it suspicious when she hung up.

Lydia threw her phone on her bed and sighed deeply. That afternoon was supposed to worry-free. They were headed to a party at the Lake House, a venue for all kinds of events right outside of city limits. It was there where the whole young population of Beacon Hills gathered together to party, and people were always looking forward to meetings like that one.

Stiles really lived close from her house, and they were friends, and it was just a ride. Lydia kept insisting to herself that there was nothing wrong with it, and that Malia had absolutely nothing to worry about. The redhead was truly sorry, but she needed a break from the madness that had been her life for the past weeks.

Lydia chose a pair of black skinny jeans, an also black cropped shirt and a light blue jean jacket. She was putting on her boots when she received a message from Stiles, asking if she was ready yet, which she replied with an _"Almost! Give me 20 minutes_." Lydia got up from her bed, applied a basic makeup and let her hair fall down her shoulders, carefully messy. She grabbed her purse and went downstairs to the kitchen, where she left a note for Monica, who was at work.

A car horn outside announced Stiles' arrival. Lydia left her house, locked the front door and walked to the Jeep, where the boy waited for her with his head out the window and a wide smile on his face.

"Road trip!" He cheered when she sat by his side.

"The lake is less than two hours from here, this is hardly a trip."

"Well, I bought road trip snacks, so I'm gonna call it a road trip." Stiles pointed to the large paper bag on the back seat, filled to the rim with what seemed to be chips and candy. Lydia raised her eyebrows and he just shrugged, still smiling, and started the car.

There was a comfortable silence between them as he drove around the city. Stiles tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and hummed the song playing on the radio. Lydia folded her legs on the seat and murmured the lyrics as they shared a packet of Skittles. Even with the windows closed, it was a little chilly inside.

"Are you cold?" He asked, noticing the way she hugged her jacket.

"Yeah," she answered. "Can you turn on the heater?"

"Eh... Actually, no. It's broken. But," he quickly added, reaching out for a thick blanket on the back seat and offering her without taking his eyes off the road. "I have this."

The redhead giggled and accepted the blanket. "It's close enough."

Lydia covered her knees and shoulders and laid her head on the seat, facing him. Stiles tapped on the steering wheel and nodded his head to the beat of the rock song that now played on the radio. He reached out to the back seat again and grabbed a big bag of chips, which he opened with his teeth. He positioned the bag on his lap, then grabbed a handful of chips and stuffed them in his mouth. Lydia had fun watching him doing so many things at the same time, like his hyperactive mind couldn't focus on one thing at a time. He drove, chewed and tried to sing at the same time.

Suddenly, the volume began dropping until there was nothing playing on the radio but an irritating white noise. Stiles was about to say that the car radio had a short reach when a loud bang, like a gunshot, startled them. The Jeep slowed down until the engine died, leaving them parked in the middle of the road. They sat there, staring at the windshield as the smell of smoke invaded the car.

"Have you noticed that sometimes things are going perfectly well and then suddenly..." Stiles gestured widely to the car.

"Yeah, I guess so," she answered, narrowing her eyes at him. He sighed heavily, buried his hand on the bag of chips again and stuffed his face again.

"You want some?" He offered, but the look on her face was a good enough answer. Stiles swallowed, put the bag of chips on the back seat and opened the door, throwing his legs outside. "Okay, let's see what we have here."

He walked to the front of the car and lifted the hood, receiving a cloud of smoke directly to his face. Stiles waved his hand to regain visibility and leaned in to check the engine. Lydia waited in the car, anxiously eyeing the forest on the both sides of the road. A few minutes later, the boy lifted his torso and calmly walked to the door he had left open.

"Is it fixed?" She asked.

"Hum, no. Actually, I think we're gonna be here for a while," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "Mainly because I have no idea what just happened."

"Aw, great." She scoffed, throwing her hands up.

"But don't worry, Stiles is gonna this." He opened a confident smile. "My Jeep and I understand each other."

Lydia rolled his eyes as he rushed to the trunk of the car to get the toolbox he kept there. He went back to the front, rolled up the sleeves of his sweater and started working. The road was deserted on both ways, but Lydia didn't like the feeling of having him alone outside, so she wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and left the car.

"You should have told me this Jeep couldn't handle a road trip," she said, leaning on the car and crossing her arms.

Stiles scoffed. "Please, this baby went all the way to Mexico once."

Lydia raised her eyebrows, surprised. "Really?"

"Aham." He lifted his head and looked at her. "It was Scott's birthday and we didn't know what to do, until I brilliantly suggested that we'd go on a road trip. So we told everyone we were going camping and went to drink tequila in Mexico."

"You just went? Without planning anything?"

"Of course we planned. We even bought snacks," he answered, shrugging as he leaned back in.

"How long did it take you guys to hit the road after you decided to travel?"

"Less than a day, I think."

Lydia snorted and shook her head. Even though during the last weeks her life had been completely crazy, she always liked to have everything under control, to plan even the tiniest details. A sporadic trip to another country wasn't at all something that _she_ would do, but it was a classic Stiles. She could almost picture the excitement on his face, the argument he came up with to convince his friends. She figured that it was probably impossible for them to say no.

"The best things in your life can't be planned, Lydia," he said, as if he could read her thoughts. "You have to just let them happen."

"But you also can plan perfect moments. A wedding, for example, it takes months to be done, and it's always unforgettable," she pointed out. Stiles leaned back with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Yeah, but I don't think it's the wedding itself that makes it unforgettable. It's the things that happen during the party. The meetings, the conversation, the booze that makes everyone go to the dance floor. It's the unplanned moments that make it all worth the wait. The best you can do is set up the stage." He grabbed a large roll of duct tape and went back to the engine. "Life gets easier when you don't try to control everything."

Lydia pondered on his words. She' never thought about it that way, and he was right. It was at least illuminating to understand the way Stiles saw life. A perfect example was the exact moment they were at: that "trip" had been planned, but if the car hadn't broken down, he would've never made her rethink the way she lived. The redhead smiled at the #conveniency of it all. Maybe she did have a thing or two to learn from him.

"Can you come over here?" He asked. She stepped closer and he pointed to the toolbox on the ground. "There's a flashlight in there, can you bring some light in here, please?"

Lydia clicked the flashlight on and lightened the spot he was working on. There was grease all over his hands and forearm, but he didn't seem to mind. Stiles' fingers were incredibly agile and he seemed to know exactly what he was doing, working on specific spots on the engine and making patched with duct tape.

"What is the craziest thing you've ever done?" Lydia asked, suddenly curious about the things that could happen when you followed his philosophy.

"Aw, man..." Stiles thought about all the trouble he had gotten into with Scott, all the foolproof plans that went terribly wrong. It was impossible to only pick one. "You gotta be more specific."

"Okay, then. What's the craziest thing you've ever done with the Jeep?"

Stiles stopped what he was doing and straightened his back, looking at her. " _With_ the Jeep or _in_ the Jeep?" He asked with a serious voice.

She frowned. "Ahn... Both?"

His eyes focused on something distant, his face suddenly void of expression. Lydia even though he was taking his time as he chose a moment, but the truth was that Stiles was remembering the things Malia and him had done on the back seat of that Jeep, things that he would rather not tell Lydia about.

"I'd rather not talk about the things I've done in the Jeep..." He murmured, feeling his face get hot.

The girl covered her eyes, letting out a short, embarrassed laugh. "Oh, god, please don't."

Stiles nodded and resumed his work. Lydia changed the angle of the flashlight and adjusted the blanket on her shoulders. It was weird thinking about Stiles like the kind of guy who did that kind of stuff on the back of a car. In her mind, she still had the picture of clumsy and sassy boy, with a buzzcut hair and a clever comment always on the tip of his tongue. But she had to recognize that he had become a very handsome man; his well defined jaw line and angular cheek bones, along with dark disheveled hair, made him very attractive.

The boy stepped away from the car. Lydia was about to ask if he was already fixed the engine when he yanked out his sweater by the head, revealing the dark blue T-shirt he wore underneath it, and threw it over the Jeep. The girl caught herself admiring the muscles in his arms, contraction and relaxing as he worked the on the engine of the car. Her eyes wandered to his shoulders, down to his defines back. All those heavy lacrosse practices were definitely not showing results only on the field. She wondered how it would be like to feel those muscles working under her hands.

"So, what is the craziest thing _you've_ ever done?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"Ahn..." Lydia blinked rapidly, pulling her mind out of her reveries. "Definitely getting drunk and waking up with a tattoo."

Stiles lifted his head so fast he hit it on the hood of the car. "What?!" He asked, massaging his head. "You have a tattoo?"

"Yep. A small flower right here." She pointed to the side of her left breast. "I don't even remember if it hurt. Thank god I actually liked it."

He let out an incredulous laugh. "Lydia Martin, who would've thought."

"Hey, it wasn't the first time I got drunk. Nor the first time I took my top off in front of strangers," she defended herself. "But, yeah, the tattoo was unexpected."

Stiles arched his eyebrows, opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. He wasn't sure how knowing that made him feel. Should Lydia's adventures with other guys really bother him like that? More importantly: should he really be that curious about the tattoo? Because he couldn't help but imagine how it looked like...

"Is it ready?" She asked.

"Ahn, yes, I guess so. Let's see if it works." Stiles walked past her and sat behind the steering wheel, twisting the key in the ignition. The engine failed, but on the second try, it roared back to life. "It lives!" He exclaimed. Lydia threw her arms up and celebrated with a yell. He got out of the car and gave her a high five, smiling.

"I told you we understand each o-" He interrupted himself abruptly and pulled her flush against his own body. A car speeded down the road, coming from the opposite direction, almost hitting her. Lydia gasped, watching with wide eyes as the car disappeared on the horizon. Her heart pounded like crazy, and she turned her head to lean her forehead on his chest. Stiles tightened his grip around her and suddenly she realized that every inch of her body seemed to be glued to his, and she felt hot despite the chilly weather. If she lifted her head, her nose would brush against his jaw line; if she stood on her tiptoes, their lips would be really close. She couldn't help but wonder how it would feel like, kissing him.

"Shit, are you okay?" He asked, looking down at her. Lydia blinked, caught by surprise by her own thoughts, and nodded. Stiles briefly caressed her back after letting her go. The girl felt cold immediately, and held the blanket closer to her skin. He pushed down the hood of the car and turned to her. "So the road trip continues!" He said with a smile.

Lydia rolled her eyes and went back inside the Jeep, grabbing the forgotten bag of chips and popping some in her mouth. Stiles sat by her side, closed the door and got them back on the road. A little more than an hour later, he parked the Jeep along with the other cars behind a great wooden house. They got out and walked towards the grass yard by the lake. Every student from Beacon Hills High School seemed to be there, sitting on blankets around some bonfires. Electronic music played in the background, and people talked, laughed and shared drinks, which explained why some teenagers dared to jump on the apparently freezing lake.

"There they are," Lydia said, pointing to Allison and Scott, who sat by one of the bonfires with some people from school. They waved at them.

"What took you so long?" Allison asked, scooting over so Lydia could sit by her side on the blanket.

"It's kind of a crazy story, actually," Stiles said, plopping down next to Scott. "So, we were on our way here..."

The brunette turned her head to Lydia. "The Jeep broke, didn't it?"

"Yup," the other girl confirmed, leaning in to grab a beer from the cooler.

Someone resumed the conversation. Lydia took sips of her beer and laughed at their reviews of movies she hadn't seen, but that definitely made it to her list. Sitting down with her friends and simply have fun felt amazing. Her eyes wandered around the place, observing all those teenagers didn't seem to care about anything else but the moment they were in. They were not following a schedule or bothering to follow any kind of rule; the only plan for the evening was to enjoy themselves. Lydia could definitely live by that philosophy, because life really seemed a lot simpler that way.

Her green eyes met Malia's. She smiled and waved, but the blonde, sitting with another group of senior not too far from them, just got up and walked away. Lydia sighed and turned back to the bonfire, finishing her beer. She noticed that Stiles also had his eyes on Malia, and had a sad expression on his face. When he leaned to open the cooler, his eyes caught hers and Lydia smiled weakly, silently telling him she was sorry.

Stiles hated that he was too weak to break up with Malia. He never meant to break her heart, but every thing he did seemed to hurt her a little more. She was her first girlfriend, so that was the first time he had to go through that, and he didn't know what to do. But if his feelings towards Lydia were really coming back, he couldn't be with Malia anymore.

"Stiles, did you bring the groceries?" Scott asked, referring to the snacks and drinks they had bought for the evening.

"Yeah, I'll go get it," he answered, getting up. He crossed the yard and walked to the parking space, away from everyone. He opened the trunk of the Jeep and stared at the paper bags, calculating how many trips would it take to get everything to the bonfire.

"Stiles!" someone called him, making him jump. He turned on his heels and saw Malia jogging in his direction. Stiles gulped.

"Malia... Hey!" He awkwardly said when she stopped right in front of him.

"Hey." Malia looked him in the eye and bit her lip, probably still struggling with what to say. "We need to talk. About us."

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, I know." He sighed. "I know."

"We need to make things official."

A lump grew in his throat, almost making him choke. That was it; that was the moment he had feared the most, and he couldn't postpone it any longer. "Malia, I..."

"Just let me do the talking, okay?" She interrupted him. Stiles nodded again, respecting her turn. Malia wet her lips. "I don't think we can fix things between us after our last fight. I know you feel that, too. I mean, yeah, we could probably take a break so you can figure out your feelings towards Lydia, but we both know it wouldn't work. You love her. I know you also love me, I never doubted that, and I love you too. But it's different with her, isn't it? Please be honest with me."

Stiles sighed. "It is," he murmured. "You're right."

"So I'm not gonna stand between you two," Malia continued, had already expected his answer. "I don't deserve it, and neither do you. I'm ending this relationship for our best. I'm not crazy enough to be with a guy who's obviously in love with someone else and _you_ ," Malia poked him in the chest, and Stiles was surprised that, though she had tears in her eyes, she also had a small smile on her lips, "you need to stop trying to convince yourself that you're not and fucking do something about it. Stop being a pussy, Stilinski, or else I'm gonna kick your ass."

"Duly noted," he agreed. Malia stepped forward and put her arms around his neck, hugging him. Stiles embraced her waist and buried his face in her blonde hair, feeling a tug on his heart. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I'm so, so sorry, Malia."

"Yeah, me too," she said, stepping back. She wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. "By the way, I'm gonna hate you for a while, so I'm also saying sorry in advance for any damage I might cause to your belongings."

Stiles blinked. "What do you... Please keep my Jeep out of this."

Malia laughed lightly and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "And tell Lydia it's nothing personal," she said after turning around and walking away from him. He watched her go, feeling his heart get heavier with every step she took.

It wasn't until she was gone from his sight that he realized he had been holding his breath. Stiles took a step back and leaned against his Jeep before he lost his balance. It was over, officially over, and though he knew it was inevitable, it didn't make it hurt any less. Malia was right; he did love her, he always would. It just wasn't the same anymore, and to be honest with himself, it was nobody's fault.

Stiles picked up a bottle of vodka from one of the paper bags and screwed the lid. He took a long sip without hesitation, letting the liquid burn on its way down his throat and bring tears to his eyes. Scott found him there several minutes after, still on the same spot, taking eventual sips from the bottle.

"Dude, what the hell are you doing?" He asked, confused by his behavior.

"Malia and I broke up," Stiles deadpanned, staring at his feet

Scott blinked. "Oh... Shit, man. Are you ok?"

Stiles just shrugged. Scott sighed and leaned against the Jeep right beside his brother, taking the bottle from his hands and taking a sip from it. 


	20. It's Gonna Happen Eventually

That evening, Stiles drank like never before. He accepted all the drinks he was offered like there was no tomorrow, washed them all down with no hesitation. He was already there, he had already been an idiot to an amazing girl and fucked up a relationship that was important to him; what else could he do but get wasted? To drown his sorrows and forget about it all for a few hours sounded like a good idea, and he intended to do that with lots, lots of alcohol.

Multiple competitions to find out who could drink a beer can faster and stupid bets that ended up with shots of vodka led the night. His best friends let Stiles enjoys himself until his drunkenness became worrisome. The boy ended up carried by the lacrosse team to the lake, where he was dumped in the freezing water. Lydia held her breath until he swam back to the surface, punching the air with a wide smile on his face He was welcomed back to the beach with high-fives and taps on his back, and they yelled in celebration as they brought him closer to the fire. The redhead got up and grabbed the blanket he had lent her, but before she could get to him, Stiles bent over and threw up on the bonfire.

"Okay, time to go," Lydia said, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders. It was barely morning and the sun still wasn't enough to warm him up, so Stiles shivered like crazy.

"Oh no, no..." He whined just before he threw up again. She gave him light taps on his back as she waited for him to finish.

"Oh yes, yes. Scott, can you help me drag him to the car?" She asked, and Scott promptly got on his feet and put his friend's arm around his shoulders.

"Hi Scoootty..." Stiles beamed, caressing his friend's hair. Scott laughed.

"Hey, man."

Lydia put his other arm around her neck and together they dragged Stiles, who seemed to have lost control over his legs, to the Jeep. She opened the back door and sat him in the back seat, where he laid on his back.

"I'll go talk to Allison, be I'll come back to drive you guys," Scott said.

"No, it's okay, I can take him home. You should stay a little longer."

"I think it's best to take him to my place. His dad is probably at work. And it's not the first time I get to take care of this guy." Scott tapped on his brother's leg, and the boy waved weakly at him. "I think there's a backpack with some clean clothes in the trunk."

"Oh, good," she said, worried about Stiles' state of complete soakness.

"I'll be right back." Scott turned around and jogged back to their bonfire.

"Bye, Scott!" Stiles yelled.

Lydia sighed and went to the trunk of the car to get the backpack. Inside it there was not only clean clothes, but also some they survival items, like a rope, nonperishable food, a first aid kit and other things.

"Jesus, Stiles," she murmured, picking up a clean shirt from the backpack. She returned to Stiles, grabbed his arms and pulled them so he would sit up, but he wasn't very helpful.

"Aah my aarm, I'm cooold," he whined like a kid.

"Yeah, I'm trying to help you with that, if you could just..." Lydia grabbed two handfuls of his sweater and pulled harder. The boy snorted and sat up all bent over. She then grabbed the hem of his sweater and pulled it up so she could take it off, but Stiles didn't move. "Arms up, please."

He raised his hands and she rolled her eyes. Lydia grabbed the back of the sweater and pulled it over his head, which was a harder job than she imagine, since the thick, wet layer seemed to be glued to his skin.

"WHERE'S THE LIGHT," he suddenly yelled when his face got covered by his sweater. Lydia finally managed to yank the piece off of him, freeing his head and leaving his hair sticking everywhere. She pulled off his T-shirt as well, and when she was finally done undressing him, her arms were tired from the effort. "Lyaa, whaa you taking off my clothes?"

Lydia laughed as she threw his wet clothes in the trunk and covered him again with the blanket.

"Don' look ah-me, I'm naked," he said, covering his nipples.

"Trust me, I'm trying," she murmured under her breath, drying his hair. At that point, she was practically forcing her eyes not to roam to his exposed torso. His lean muscles were begging to be appreciated. Lydia bit her lip and sighed, throwing the damp blanket over the discarded clothes. She grabbed the dry T-shirt and smiled at him. "Time to get dressed."

"I'm cold," he affirmed. She nodded, noticing that his lips were trembling. Lydia put his head through the respective hole in the shirt, then did the same with his arms. She picked up the blanket from the backpack and wrapped it around his shoulders.

"There you go," she said, rubbing his arms over the blanket to warm him up. Stiles leaned forward and laid his forehead on her stomach. Lydia smiled affectively and hugged him by the shoulders. Scott came back a few minutes later, holding one of the blankets they had used to cover the grass.

"Allison said she won't stay much longer. Too many people are wasted and she's the assigned driver," he said, handing Lydia the blanket and looking at Stiles. "Let's go home, buddy."

"Scott, Lydia was taking my clothes off!" The other guy loudly whispered, leaning closer to Scott as if he was telling him a secret. The other guy laughed and exchanged looks with Lydia, who just shrugged. Scott felt up the pockets of his brother's jeans, looking for his keys. "SCOTT, HANDS OFF MY PAANTS!"

"Stop yelling, I just want the keys," Scott shushed him, sliding his fingers into the pocket of Stiles' wet jeans and fishing out his car keys.

"ASSAULT!"

"Yeah, man, whatever." Scott pushed Stiles' legs inside the car and closed the door. He went to sit behind the wheel while Lydia circled the car and opened the other back door, sitting with the drunk boy. Stiles laid his head on her lap and she used the blanket Scott had handed her to cover his legs.

Scott and Lydia kept up a light conversation on their way back. She ran her fingers absent-mindedly through Stiles' soft hair while he murmured incoherently in his sleep. During a moment of comfortable silence, she was distracted with the preserve outside the window when she felt him tug at her hair. Lydia looked down and found Stiles playing with a strawberry blonde curl.

"I think you're beautiful," he murmured, looking at her hair with awe. "Really, really beautiful."

She blinked, caught completely off guard by his random declaration. Her cheeks burned and she opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't know what. Her eyes met Scott's, who watched her reaction through the rear view mirror. He just smiled and turned his eyes back to the road. Before she could do anything, Stiles suddenly open his eyes wide and sat up.

"Scott, stop the car," Lydia warned, and the boy obeyed with no hesitation. Stiles barely had time to open the door before the muscles of his stomach contracted and the vomit spilled out of his mouth. The girl moved on the seat, kneeling behind him and putting her hands on his shoulders while he vomited again. Stiles coughed and wiped her mouth with the blanket.

"Ooh, shit," he mumbled, covering his face with his hands. "Shit, shit, shit..."

His shoulders started shaking, and for a second she even though he was laughing, but then she heard the sobs proving her wrong. Lydia exchanged a desperate look with Scott as she tried to comfort the boy who now sobbed uncontrollably.

"Shii, Stiles, it's okay..." She murmured, hugging his shoulders.

Stiles sniffed. "I fucked up. Malia hates me. I'm such a- _fucking_ idiot."

"Don' say that, it's not true," Scott reasoned with him.

"Lydia, don't hate me too," Stiles continued. "Please don't hate me, don't hate me."

The girl frowned, confused. "I would never hate you, Stiles," she said. "Why are you saying that?"

He didn't answer it. She caressed his hair, waiting for him to calm down. Once they were sure he wasn't going to burst into tears or vomit again, Lydia gently pulled him back into the car and closed the door. Stiles laid his head back in her lap and fell asleep.

About half and hour later, Scott pulled over in front of Lydia's house. She said goodbye to him and kissed Stiles' forehead. He murmured a "Baa..." as she carefully laid his head on the seat. Lydia laughed as she walked to her front door and entered the house.

"Lydia?" Her aunt called from the kitchen. The girl took off her shoes and went to meet Monica, who was sitting at the table with a big sandwich on her hands, still wearing her scrubs, had just arrived from the hospital. "I thought you were upstairs."

"The party just went on, I lost track of time," she said, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. "Sorry, I should have called."

"Nah, it's okay, I used to do the same when I was your age. I drove my mom crazy." The girl laughed with her aunt. "Now I get to pull a different kind of all-nighter. Thank god I love my job."

Lydia smiled, taking a sip from the cold bottle. She could easily imagine her aunt at a younger age, partying with her friends without caring about time, judgment or reprimands. Lydia knew that Monica still carried that young spirit with her, and hoped her aunt would let it take over when she took a break from being one of the best nurses in town.

"Stiles dropped you off?"

"Hm, no. Scott drove us. Stiles was drunk on the back seat." Monica looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Malia and him broke up," Lydia explained.

"Oh... It's a shame," she said, lowering her eyes to her sandwich. Lydia nodded, taking another sip of water. None of them talked for a few seconds before Monica broke the silence. "Stiles have grown into a fine man, don't you think?"

"Mmhmm," the girl agreed, thinking about all the times she caught herself checking him out during the last hours. She managed to blame the alcohol for most of the times.

"And you two are really close, right?"

"Right..." Lydia eyed her aunt suspiciously, knowing she was heading somewhere with that talk. Monica smiled excitedly and folded her legs under herself.

"So, what's the hold up?" She asked. Lydia frowned.

"For what?"

"For you to hook up!" Monica answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. The girl's jaw dropped and she stared shocked at her aunt, who still had a smile on her face. Lydia choked with her words, bewildered. "I personally think it's about time."

"Oh, my god," Lydia said, covering her burning face with her hands. She didn't know if she should laugh or run away from that conversation.

"Aw, come on, I can't be the only one who notices the tension between you two." Lydia gasped and Monica raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Tension?!" The girl shook her head and threw her hands up. "What tension? What are you talking about?"

Her aunt shook a finger in her direction. "Don't play dumb, young lady," she said. "I'm talking about sexual tension. Electricity. Sparkle. A big neon sign over your heads saying 'please, just do it'"

"That's not... We're not..." The redhead crossed her arms, laughing both nervously and awkwardly. "Okay, what you're saying makes no sense at all. Stiles and I are just friends."

"So what? Friends are always a step away from becoming something more. Or something less, but that definitely would not be your case."

"He just broke up with his girlfriend!"

Monica slowly nodded. "And that was the only thing stopping you from jumping his bones?"

"Yes! I mean, no, of course not! Argh..." Lydia grunted, running a hand across her face. "Where is this coming from, hun? What is this?"

"I always thought you two would make a good couple," Monica said, placing her elbows on the table. "When you were kids, you were inseparable, it was so freaking cute. I always rooted for you guys to be together."

"I'm pretty sure that's against the law," the girl said, picking up her bottle. Monica rolled her eyes.

"You know what I mean. Stiles and you have chemistry, there's no denying that." Lydia shook her head and scoffed, taking a sip of water. "And the boy likes you, not only as a friend."

She choked on her water, nearly spitting it out. She swallowed with difficulty, coughing.

"What?!" She half yelled, letting out an incredulous laugh. That was getting seriously ridiculous. "Okay, now you're just making things up."

"I mean it!" Monica insisted, but Lydia only waved a hand with uninterested.

"Right. I'm going to bed."

"I'm being serious, Lydia!" Monica spoke louder as her niece left the kitchen. "You two are inevitable! It's gonna happen eventually!"

The girl gave her aunt two thumbs and quickly climbed the stairs, closing herself in her room. She was tired and didn't want to waste the little time she had to sleep arguing ridiculous and nonsense matters.

Xxxx

Stiles moaned and leaned his throbbing head against the cold tiles of the bathroom wall. He didn't even know what was left inside of him, because he had been sitting on Scott's floor for hours now, vomiting nonstop. The bitter taste in his mouth came not only from his own bile, but also from a deep regret; he should never have had so much to drink. He barely remembered jumping into the lake. Spending his day lying on the bathroom floor was a new rock bottom for him. Plus, Stiles had never been a big fan of Sundays.

"This is so degrading," he murmured, sighing heavily. He heard steps coming from the stairs and then Scott entered the bathroom holding a plastic bag from the drugstore. The boy threw at his friend two small dose packs of pills and a bottle of a colorful drink. "What is this?"

"One for the headache, one for the sickness and an isotonic because of the electrolytes." Scott answered, leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms.

"What the fuck is an electrolyte? Ah, you know what, I don't care." Stiles opened the bottle and drank half of its content before taking two pills. Then he leaned his back on the wall behind the toilet and closed his eyes, waiting for the pills to work. He moaned when Scott's ringtone broke the silence.

"Hey, Lydia." Scott cheerfully answered the phone.

"Hey," Lydia said from the other said, adjusting her position on her bed. "How is he?"

"Hm..." The boy looked at his friend, who gulped down the bottle of water Scott had left him. "He's gonna live. I bought the stuff you told me."

"I think I'm gonna be hungover 'till college," Stiles grunted, standing up with difficulty.

"Well, he has to get better, 'cause we have a game tomorrow night." Scott sent him a threatening look, and Stiles ran his hand through his hair.

"Shit, I forgot," he said, slightly panicked. Stiles got in the shower and turned it on, standing under the water still fully clothed.

"What are you doing?!" Scott asked.

"Sorry man, I gotta recover," Stiles spoke over the noise from the water.

"Why didn't you... Ah, whatever."

"What did he do?" Lydia asked, amused by his reaction.

"He decided to take a shower," Scott complained. "Listen, I'm gonna put this baby to sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, see you tomorrow," she said, then hung up.

"Hey, man," Stiles said, turning off the water. "I was thinking. I would cause the team any harm anyway, I never leave the bench."

"Right, try showing up on the field with that look of death tomorrow and wait to see what the coach does to you," Scott said, throwing a towel at him. Stiles only made a face and started drying himself.

Xxxx

Allison and Lydia enjoyed the weak sunlight, sitting on the wooden benches by the big tables on the outside patio on the school. The wind was still a little chilly, but the sky was clear and the sun was warmer. They shared moments the other had missed from the party on Saturday, laughing hard because most of the people there were seriously wasted and stupid.

The brunette spotted Malia walking towards the building and waved. Malia smiled and took a step in her direction, but then the blonde laid her eyes on Lydia and she stopped, waved back and resumed her walk to the hallway.

Lydia sighed deeply. "She hates me.

Allison snorted. "Nonsense, of course she doesn't hate you."

"Her relationship with Stiles did end because of me, so..." The redhead threw her hands up. If her friend hadn't noticed it yet, now she knew. Allison frowned and leaned over the table. "Did you know that?"

"I've noticed something strange between you. What happened?"

"Malia didn't like the way Stiles treated me, Stiles said he couldn't change..." Lydia sighed. "They had a big fight and I was right in the middle."

Allison blinked and frowned. "How is this your fault? You didn't really do anything."

The redhead shrugged. "I don't know... I just feel guilty, can't help it. Especially because..." She bit her lip and cast her eyes down. "When we were on our way to the party, there was a moment that I..."

"You what?" Allison pressed, leaning over the table when her friend hesitated.

"I almost kissed him," Lydia finished with a murmur. The brunette let out a squeak then covered her mouth with her hands, staring at Lydia with eyes wide as plates.

"No fucking way!"

"Yup, it's true."

"Lydia!" Allison laughed, choked. "Details, please!"

"It was super weird, I don't know what came into me." Of course she wouldn't talk about the longing looks she caught herself giving his muscles; she wouldn't know how to explain _that_. "We were standing really close, and I just wondered how it would feel like to kiss him... It was really, really weird."

Allison put her chin on her hand. "Why didn't you kiss him?"

Lydia opened her mouth, outraged. "Because I... Stiles is..." She shook her head, feeling her cheeks burn. "What, does everybody wants us to hook up now?"

The brunette's eyes lightened up once again and she opened her mouth to ask the question that would definitely make the conversation even more embarrassing. Fortunately, Lydia spotted the guys heading to their table. Stiles wore sunglasses, even though the sun wasn't that strong. The girls watched him with arched eyebrows.

"What's with the sunglasses?" Allison asked as they sat down.

"Stiles thinks he turned into a vampire at some point during the party," Scott explained, leaning in to kiss his girlfriend.

"Very funny, Scott," Stiles said. "It's just ridiculously bright today."

"You still hungover?" Lydia asked.

"That or I might start burning at any second," he answered.

"Or maybe you could start glowing."

"Nah, Twilight vampires are bullshit."

"STILINSKI!" They all jumped when his name was yelled from across the patio. Coach Finstock was standing by the double doors of the building, and nodded his head sideways, telling Stiles to come to him

"What did I do? Scott, what did I do?" Stiles desperately asked, his eyes wide with fear. Scott lifted his shoulders, just as confused.

"Stiles, go!" Allison pushed his arm when the boy seemed to be paralyzed on his seat. Stiles jumped to his feet and walked slowly towards the coach, as if he was making his way to the gallows. Finstock put his hand on the boy's shoulder and they talked briefly about something that seemed serious. At last, Stiles nodded and the man gave him a friendly punch on his arm that made him lose his balance. Finstock returned to the building and Stiles went back to the table. He sat down and stared at the table, his face pale as if he could throw up at any moment.

"What happened?" Lydia asked.

"Greenberg got hurt... I'm playing tonight," he said in a low, terrified voice.

"Stiles, that's amazing!" The girl smiled, putting her hand on his arm. He looked at her with doubt.

"Is it?" He questioned. " _Is it?_ "

"Of course it is, man," Scott said, smiling too. "You've been training as hard as any of us, I'm sure you're gonna do great. I mean, sucks for Greenberg, but tonight is your night."

"Okay. But is it?"

"Yes! It's gonna be great!"

"It's gonna be awesome," Allison agreed. "Look alive, Stilinski."

It felt good to have their support, but Stiles still wasn't feeling an inch of their excitement. Lydia squeezed his arm, looking at him with confidence. Stiles sighed and nodded; he knew they could be right.

Xxxx

Hours after that, Stiles still wasn't convinced. It wasn't because of the hangover, though the coach did tell him he looked ridiculous with those sunglasses. His head didn't hurt anymore, and he knew the nausea he felt had nothing to do with the liquor.

Being on the field had been a dream of his since he joined the lacrosse team. Stiles was never the best player, but was also far from being the worst, and that earned him his until now permanent spot on the bench. Now that he was facing the opportunity of actually being on the field and feeling the pressure of having a few hundreds of people watching him, Stiles would be happy to make his way back to his beloved bench, where all he had to do was root for his teammates.

At night, while the bleachers filled up with spectators, the team got ready for the game in the locker room. Stiles kept silent, afraid that he'd throw up if he opened his mouth, while the other players joked with each other, excited. When the time came, they started to make their way to the field, leaving Scott and Stiles behind.

"Ready?" Scott asked.

"Almost," the other answered. "You can go, I just need a minute."

Scott hesitated, but nodded and left the locker room. Stiles put his elbows on his knees and let his head fall on his hands. He was not ready for that game. He would make the team lose a guaranteed game, and that would be one more important thing he would manage to destroy. Stiles couldn't fuck that up too; his teammates would never trust him again, the coach would probably gut him, the whole school would hate him and he would have to move to Russia.

"Stiles?" The boy quickly turned his head and saw Lydia standing by the door. "They're asking for you. The game is about to start."

Stiles sighed. "I know." The girl walked up to him and sat by his side, eyeing him with concern. "I don't think I can do this."

"Why not?" She asked.

"Because..." He quickly ran his tongue across his bottom lip. "This game is really important, and I'm on the vibe of fucking up things like that. I don't want the team to lose because of me, I'm not ready to play."

Stiles felt a tightness in his chest and his breath caught in his throat. He pressed his lips together and trying to get a hold on his breathing; that was a terrible time to have a panic attack.

"Hey, look at me," Lydia said, noticing the way he started to gasp for air. "You're just as ready for this game as any other player on that field. I know you're still feeling bad about what happened with Malia, but those are two completely different things."

"Lydia, I can't fuck this up." Stiles was definitely losing his breath now. "I can't... I can't fuck this up."

"You're not gonna fuck up." The redhead held his hands and looked at him in the eye. "I believe in you, and you need to believe you're ready. It's gonna be great."

The boy nodded, desperately wanting to believe her words and already feeling his breathing calming down. His heart, on the other hand, was still frantically pounding in his chest. They were sitting close, too close; if it wasn't so dark in the locker room, he would see the freckles sprinkled on her nose. His eyes admired every inch of her face, from her green eyes that glowed even under the dim light, to the delicate shape of her cheeks, finally stopping on her full lips.

Before they could help it, before they could think twice or hesitate, their lips crashed against each other. His lips were soft and firm against hers, and a shiver made its way down her spine like a wave of electricity, warming her whole body. Stiles moved his face only so he could kiss her again, molding his lips against hers and earning a sigh from her.

Lydia broke the kiss, breathing heavily. She slowly opened her eyes and found him staring at him, stunned and confused. Stiles was beautiful and she was completely lost. She wanted to kiss him again.

"Stilinski!" For the second time that day, they heard the coach's voice call him. Stiles' eyes went wide and he literally jumped to his feet.

"I have to... Yeah, I gotta go," he stuttered, then ran off the locker room without looking back.

Lydia blinked, staring at spot where he was seconds ago. "Holy shit," she murmured to herself.


	21. After That Night

Stiles turned out to be a great addition to the team. His speed and agility - that probably came from his hyperactive mind,- helped the Cyclones to score the goals they needed to win.

The boy did what he could to stop himself from thinking about what happened before he went to the field, and that was why he did so well; Stiles was a hundred percent focused on the game. It was that or he would end up sitting in a fetal position in a corner, drooling as he stared at the emptiness.

Lydia, on the other hand, couldn't say who was winning. On the bleachers, she cheered automatically, using Allison as an alarm to when she should celebrate, clap her hand or curse really loudly. She didn't pay attention to the game, and actually counted the minutes until it ended. She wanted to go somewhere quiet where she could think about what had happened, because all those thoughts seemed to be piling up in her mind. She needed to figure out what the hell she was going to do next.

Stiles was her best friend, almost like a brother to her. Wanting to kiss him wasn't just weird for her; it was crazy confusing. Lydia had never felt any kind of physical attraction towards him, she didn't know what changed in her and what to do about it. Kissing him made things even worse. When she played that moment in her head - and she caught herself doing that a lot,- she couldn't tell who moved first, who leaned in closer. Suddenly they were two magnets too close to each other, two cars going in opposite directions, speeding to a collision.

But Lydia didn't want to believe they were not inevitable, like Monica had said. She simply didn't see how that could be true: it was too confusing, too messy, just nonsense. That's why she couldn't see that kiss as anything else than a mistake, something with no explanation that definitely shouldn't have happened.

People around her started to yell insanely and she realized that the game had ended. By the way they cheered with passion and the way Allison jumped and grabbed Lydia by the shoulders, they had won. The redhead hugged her and jumped along, but soon they joined the crowd who took over the field. Lydia had never been a fan of sports, but she couldn't help but love the energy coming from the students.

Allison ran towards Scott, who tossed his helmet on the ground, took her in his arms and spun her around, kissing her passionately. Lydia looked away, giving them some privacy. She spotted Stiles surrounded by teammates and supporters, who congratulated him with excitement. The boy had an astonished expression on his face and a large smile on his lips. Lydia was happy for him, she always knew things would be fine. Their eyes met and suddenly all he could hear was his heart pounding on his chest and all he could see was the beautiful redhead smiling at him. Lydia raised her hand and waved at him. Stiles did the same, as if he was hypnotized. He was a second away from pushing all of those people out of his way and go to her, take her in his arms.

But he turned around and went to get rid of all his gear along with the rest of the team. It was amazing how silly he felt for thinking that the game would be a disaster. Now he could feel the excitement from the victory vibrating on his bones and it felt incredible.

The ground vanished from under Stiles' feet as they left the locker room and before he knew it, he was being carried out of the field on the shoulders of half of the team. There was nothing he could do but throw his fists in the air and scream along with them, which he was happy to do. From where he was, he saw Theo walking alone to his car, and Stiles didn't mind at all to not having him there for the celebration. The crowd met at the parking lot, where they put him back on the ground as Liam, the co-captain, climbed on the back of his pick-up truck and picked up a megaphone:

"You guys, celebration at my place!" He announced, earning another loud cheer from the crowd, that immediately started to find their way to the cars.

"Hey Stiles, you're going, right?" Danny, a teammate, asked him.

"Ahn... I don't know..." Stiles stretched out his neck and looked around, trying to find a person in particular in the middle of the crowd. "I'm not sure if it's a good idea."

"Come on, it's just a couple of beers. Everyone's gonna be alive for class tomorrow," Danny insisted. Stiles pressed his lips together, still trying to find her as he debated with himself. At last, he sighed.

"Okay, I'll go," he gave in. Danny smiled and tapped him a little too hard on the back, probably to cheer him up. Stiles quickly smiled back, not as excited, but convincing nonetheless.

He spotted Scott's head in the crowd. After a few "excuse me" and "sorry", he finally managed to cross the parking lot and get to his friend.

"Congratulations!" Allison cheered, jumping as she hugged Stiles by the neck. The boy laughed and hugged her back.

"Thanks," he said when they broke apart. "Are you going to Liam's?"

Scott looked at his girlfriend, who shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

"Cool. Hey, have you, ahn..." Stiles looked around one more time. "Have you seen Lydia?"

"She went home. Headache," Allison answered. "She told me to tell you congratulations."

"Oh... Okay." The boy tried his best not to look as disappointed as he felt. But now that he thought about it, what would he tell Lydia? What would he do? Make an idiot of himself, that was for sure. Or panic and run off. He should be relieved she wasn't there anymore, it would give him time to process everything. "Okay... See you guys at Liam's, then."

Stiles waved and walked to his Jeep. He ended up giving a ride to some classmates, who suddenly thought his car was the coolest. Liam's house seemed to be already full when they arrived. As soon as he stepped on the grass, Stiles was welcomed with a beer bottle and taps on his back. It was really weird being treated so well by people he barely even knew. The Cyclones were the center of everyone's attention, and that was the first time he actually felt part of it.

The "celebration" lasted more than expected. Between long silly conversations and beer, no one noticed the time passing. Scott didn't stay for long: he left holding hands with Allison, and by the look he sent his friend, they were up for a private celebration that Stiles didn't want to know about. Hours later, the boy plopped down on the host's couch and fished his phone out of his pocket, only then noticing the missed calls from his dad and that it was past four a.m. He jumped to his feet and said goodbye to everyone on his way to his car.

Stiles tried his best not to make any noise when he arrived home, which obviously didn't work. He didn't turn on the lights, and bumped into the kitchen table when he went to grab a glass of water, knocking down one of the chairs. He cursed under his breath and put the chair back to its place. He drank two glasses of water and went to the stairs, where he stumbled on the last step and almost rolled his way down. He planned to tiptoe to his room, but found the Sheriff leaning against the wall with his arms crossed against his chest.

"My job would be so much easier if there were robbers like you," he said.

"Guess I shouldn't drop out of school then, hun?" Stiles joked, but his dad only narrowed his eyes at him. "Sorry I didn't answer your calls, I didn't hear my phone..."

"Scott told me were you were. At a party, on a Monday."

"Well, yes. But hey, we won the game!" The boy raised his arms theatrically. Noah let out a laugh and nodded.

"Scott told me that too. Congratulations, son," he said, going to the boy and giving him a hug. "Sorry I couldn't make it. I heard you were the star of the game."

Stiles shrugged when they broke the hug. "Scott may have exaggerated a bit, but yeah, it's true."

"I know how much work you put into this. You deserved this, kid, I'm proud of you," Noah said, putting a hand on his son's shoulder.

The boy smiled. "Thanks, dad."

"But no more parties on a school night, okay?"

"Only when we win another game, right?"

"We'll discuss that later," Noah said. "And boy you smell like beer. Tell me you haven't been drinking and driving."

"No, I haven't, I would never ever do that," Stiles quickly said. The Sheriff narrowed his eyes again, clearly not buying it.

"Right. Now go to bed. And take a shower first, for the love of god."

Stiles laughed, said goodnight and went to his room. He threw his gym bag on the corner, grabbed fresh clothes in the wardrobe and went to the bathroom for a relaxing shower. After that, he collapsed on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

Laying there, Stiles felt like his life was somehow going to change after that night. He had already had a taste of what that victory would make to his social life. Scott, who had never been stuck on the bench, already knew how to deal with all the attention, but Stiles, who had always been his best friend, never quite fitted in that circle. Now he didn't mind at all being a little popular; it was been a great experience so far.

And there was his kiss with Lydia. Stiles had kissed the girl with whom he had been in love since he was a kid. And she had kissed him back. Lydia Martin. Kissing. Stiles Stilinski.

The boy smiled and put an arm over his eyes. Holy shit, that really had happened. He had pictured that moment so many times, and in so many ways, and it ended up happening in the most unexpected time and place. Stiles could still feel her lips against his, he could still smell her perfume. Aside from that, it all still felt like a dream. He almost panicked as he looked to her face, so close to his. Her green eyes were still closed, and he thought his heart was going to explode in his chest. If the coach hadn't interrupted them, he would've told her everything he felt; the words would just spill out from his mouth, he knew it. Finstock actually saved him from the embarrassment and from a probable death by humiliation.

Stiles knew the kiss didn't mean the same to Lydia. After all, he was the one stuck on the biggest friendzone in history, gladly accepting his spot as long as he still got to be near her. A friendzone so mean and well-built that actually tricked him into believing he didn't have to be there anymore while she was gone. It was obvious Lydia only saw him as her friend. Stiles wished he could find out what she was thinking about as he laid there. Probably nothing specific, since it was almost dawn, but still it was enough to leave him awake. Did she hate the kiss? Or did she like it? Would things be weird between them now? Would she be up for another kiss?

"Jesus, Stiles," he murmured, laying on his stomach and burying his face on the pillow. He shut his eyes and focused on falling asleep.

"Boy, wake up!" The Sheriff called from the other side of the door, banging on the wood. Stiles slowly opened his eyes and blinked, disoriented. The sun coming from his window illuminated his whole room, making him frown. He had slept for what, five minutes? He groped his nightstand as he searched for his phone, and when he found it, he saw that he should be ready to leave at that time. The boy grounted and sat up, not feeling rested at all.

He got dressed, grabbed his backpack and went to the kitchen. As soon as he sat by the table, he filled up a mug of coffee and took a large sip.

"Morning, champ," his dad said, smiling. "Sleep well?"

Stiles muttered something under his breath and took a bite from a toast. Coffee always helped him to wake up a little, but he was already planning on taking a few naps during the day. He checked the time on his phone again, and if he stayed a little longer he would be late for first period.

"I'm out," he said, finishing his mug and filling it up again, basically forcing caffeine into his body. Stiles put a toast in his mouth, hung his backpack on his shoulder and waved goodbye to his dad. Noah waved back, watching the boy run to his car with a toast between his teeth like a dog and holding a mug that would definitely never find its way back home again.

Stiles climbed in the car, placed the mug on the dashboard and started the engine. He had his breakfast as he drove to school, which could be dangerous if he wasn't so experienced. He parked the car and ran to the building, slipping into the classroom just in time for the first period. He sat at a desk in the back and finished the now warm coffee in two large gulps. A girl sitting by his side frowned as she eyed his mug, but he only nodded at her and tried to focus on the teacher.

"You look terrible," Scott commented with raised eyebrows when they met in the hallway.

"You look radiant," Stiles said, placing his mug in his locker and taking out a book. "Looks like we both had amazing nights."

The other boy smiled, his eyes becoming distant. "Oh yeah, I did..." Stiles immediately understood what he was thinking about and made a face, closing his locker with a loud bang. "What time did you get home yesterday? Your dad was pissed when he called me."

"Around four. Sorry about that." A group of freshmen walked past them, congratulating them for the game. The boys smiled and thanked them, and Stiles found it funny the way some of the freshmen seemed to be really excited about receiving attention from two seniors from the lacrosse team. "Do they bring flowers and chocolate too?" He asked as they walked away.

"You're not a diva, Stiles,take down a notch."

"Ah, don't tell you've never won anything from your fans. Not even, I don't know, a card on Valentine's day?"

"I don't know if we can call them fans, but yes, I've gotten some stuff for Valentine's day."

Stiles arched an eyebrow. "Does Allison know about that?"

"Of course she does, it's free chocolate," Scott said. "But... Well, she doesn't know about everything I get. Some things are better kept as a secret, you know."

A smile slowly spread across Stiles' face. "What level of dirty are we talking about?"

"The highest," Scott answered, dead serious. "Wait until Valentine's. It's insane."

Stiles nodded, suddenly very curious as his low expectations for Valentine's day grew a little higher.

At the end of the hallway, he spotted Lydia talking to a brunette girl whose name he didn't know. Stiles blinked, his heart already racing in anticipation. She turned her face and looked directly at him, like she could feel his eyes on her. It was a weird moment where everything seemed to move in slow motion around them. Lydia opened a small smile and waved at him. Stiles raised his hand and did the same, opening his mouth to say hi despite the distance between them.

The ring of the bell echoed through the hallway, putting an abrupt end to their moment. The girl blinked, said goodbye to Hayden and turned on her heels to go to her classroom. Stiles pressed his lips together and sighed. He couldn't wait to know what she thought about the kiss, even though he knew he would probably never have the courage to ask.

A few minutes later, while he was in class, Lydia's face appeared behind the small window on the door. She gestured for him to go meet her, and the boy didn't hesitate before throwing his hand in the air and asking to go to the bathroom, jumping to his feet as soon as the teacher cleared him. Lydia was already walking when he closed the door behind him, and Stiles followed her down the empty hallway to a more private corner.

The girl turned to face him, nervously biting her bottom lip. She could barely pay any attention to her class, just thinking about that conversation. Lydia searched for the right words in her mind, trying to find the best way to bring up the subject. There was no need to drag it too long; a simple talk to make things clear would be enough to avoid any problems between them before they even came up. Lydia was putting their friendship before any kind of weird attraction she had developed towards Stiles.

"So, we need to talk," she started, then mentally rolled her eyes because she couldn't have said something more obvious. "About... You know."

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, I know," he said, his heart pounding in his chest. His throat was dry like a desert while his hands sweat like crazy. He hoped she didn't notice how nervous he was. They weren't standing so close to each other, but they were in a nice hidden corner, so he couldn't help but wonder if they would get caught if he kissed her right there.

Lydia wet her lips. "I don't know exactly how that happened. I mean, I'm not even sure about what happened, it was all so... fast and..."

"Unexpected," he finished.

"Yes! Yes, it was unexpected and just... crazy." The girl let out a nervous laugh, which wasn't like her. "None of us saw _that_ one coming, right?"

"You can say the word 'kiss', it's not a curse," Stiles said, shrugging. Lydia nodded.

"Right. Ahn..." She ran a hand through her hair, his heart beating faster with every passing minute; the boy would probably faint before he found out what she had to say.

"Lydia," he said, tried his best not to sound too impatient. "Just talk to me."

She nodded again, taking a deep breath. "I didn't want things to be weird between us. Okay, we kissed, and it was... Well..." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, it happened. But we're friends, and it's not like it meant anything, right? I mean, I think it's best if we just forget about what happened and... Yeah, that's it."

Stiles was definitely not expecting her words to hit him so hard. Even though he had already accepted that she didn't feel the same way as him, he realized that he had been unconsciously nurturing a tiny hope that he was wrong. And now that she had said with every word that their kiss had meant absolutely nothing to her, he could feel his heart breaking piece by piece. The boy clenched his teeth and raised his chin; that had happened before, she had broken his heart before, and he wasn't going to let that happen again. Never again. Lydia didn't see what she did to him. She didn't realize the weight of her words. Part of it was really Stiles' fault; he had gived her that kind of power, he had chosen to keep the secret over staying away from her. But everything has a limit, and he had reached his.

"You agree with me, right?" She asked.

"Yeah, I do," he answered without thinking twice. "Absolutely." 


	22. It Meant Nothing

**A/N: HAPPY NEW YEARS!**

Would it be hard? Definitely. Impossible? Probably yes. But Stiles was willing to do what he had to do to get rid of his feeling for Lydia.

He made that decision the moment he saw the relieved smile on her face when he agreed to forget about the kiss, when she said goodbye and went back to her classroom as if that conversation never happened. He made that decision as soon as he realized how stupid he was for simply accepting that he would always be in love with Lydia. I could not have been more obvious that it didn't flow both ways: Lydia would never feel for him what he felt for her, and he had lost count of how many times it had been proven true. But Stiles was still there nonetheless. With no expectations, and no escape plan.

The boy sat on the hallway floor with his knees bent in front of him and leaned the back of his head against the wall. He sighed. Lydia Martin and the things she did to him without even knowing. Stiles remembered vividly how it was like when he tried to forget her years before, when she left without looking back. It was hurtful and complicated and, at the end, it didn't work at all. He had no idea how he would made those feelings go away when he had to see her everyday, and be near her everyday. How could he possibly start to see the girl of his dreams only as a friend?

Stiles didn't bother to go back to class. He only got up when the bell rang, and sneaked into the classroom to get his things as everyone left. The boy worked automatically during the rest of the day, walking down the hallway and watching his classes without putting too much thought into what he was doing. At lunch time, he quietly sat down with his friends, who immediately noticed something was off about him.

"Is everything okay?" Lydia asked, watching him carefully.

"Ahn yeah, yeah..." He quickly answered, not daring to look at her in the eye. He shrugged and waved his hand nonchalantly. "Just worried about... Chemistry."

"I can help you study, if you want," she offered. Stiles nodded, playing with his food and thinking that no fucking way he was going to sit down alone with her for a study session. He noticed that Scott was still staring at him, probably knowing that his problem wasn't just Chemistry. Stiles silently told Scott that he would know about everything later; for a good understander, or for best friends of a lifetime, a look was enough to send a whole message.

The coach gave the team the afternoon off, so after his classes ended, Stiles went straight home. He threw his backpack on a corner, kicked off his sneakers and plopped down on the couch with a large bag of chips and a beer he found in the fridge. He navigated through the channels, looking for something good to distract him. He ended up settling with a How I Met Your Mother marathon, a show that he had already watched a dozen of times and which he never got sick of.

A few hours later, the boy still found himself in the same place, practically buried under the pillows, laughing and making angry comments out loud between mouthfuls of chips and sips of beer - and by then, he was halfway through his second six pack. His phone vibrated in his pocket, so he finished his bottle, threw it on the small pile on the floor and fished out the device.

"Heoooo!" He greeted Scott when he accepted the call.

"Hey..." The other guy said, not expecting such excitement. "What are you doing?"

"I'm watching TV and eating some... chips..." He mumbled

"Stiles are you drunk?" Scott asked, amused.

"That is a reeeally serious a-ccusation, young... man. Slander and... defamation and a feeew beers." Stiles let out a short and slightly hysterical laugh, then covered his face with his free hand. "Scott I'm... drunk alone on a Tuuesday afternoon, this is... fucking rock bottom."

Scott laughed. "I thought you were supposed to be studying Chemistry."

"I was... Aw man, fuuuck Chemistry. I'm feeling dooown."

"What happened?"

"Well, Ted is fucking pissing me off. Like, Robin and this aall shit... I don't know, I'm just mad. You're an asshole, Ted Mosby," he said to the television. "But have you noticed... that we're a lot alike, Scott? I mean... Ted and I, two… fucking idiots. I want to punch him... really bad, have you ever felt like punching me?"

"More than you know," Scott answered. "But, dude, what the fuck are you talking about?"

"Buuut Lydia is not Robin... because Robin did fall in love with Ted and they were together for a while. Or maybe... Lydia is post-breakup Robin, because she did not give two flying fucks about Ted. And I'm always going to be Ted... the moron who can't move on. This is really fucking sad."

"Does that make me Marshall?"

"You can be Marshall, I don't give a fuck."

"Right. I'm still not sure where you're going with this, but I'm guessing it is about Lydia." Stiles grunted as he cracked open another beer. "Sounds like a yes. What happened?"

Stiles shrugged. "Nothing..."

"Stiles."

"Fine. We kissed."

"YOU WHAT?!"

"Yeah, but I don't wanna talk about it."

"Dude, don't you dare..."

"Bye, Scott."

"Stiles!"

The boy ended the call, tossed his phone aside and sinked on the pillows. Stiles would probably regret blurting it out to Scott like that tomorrow, but right now he was too tired and #chateado to even care.

He ended up falling asleep, and woke up startled two hours later. He quickly sat up, grabbed his phone and, ignoring Scott's texts, he noticed that his dad would be home at any time. Stiles widened his eyes as he looked to the mess on the living room, with all the empty beer bottles dumped on the floor and chips all over. He jumped to his feet and ran to get a trash bag and a broom. He threw the bottles in the bag and did the best he could clean the room from the chips. As soon as he was done with the word, he ran upstairs to his room and stuffed the trash bag under his bed, where the Sheriff wouldn't find out about what the boy had done to his beer.

"Stiles?" His dad called from downstairs.

"Hey!" He answered, rushing down the stairs and finding his dad standing in the middle of the living room. "How was work? Did you catch a lot of, hum, bad guys?"

Noah narrowed his eyes to his son, who was leaning against the wall in a way that would be casual, if he didn't have that unmistakable I-hope-you-won't-notice-I-did-something-wrong look on his face.

"Eh, it was a slow day," the man said, deciding he was too tired to deal with his son's shenanigans. Stiles nodded and went to the kitchen, careful not to trip or knocking down anything. He filled up a glass of water and gulped it down, filling it up again as soon as he finished. The effects of the alcohol still weightened on his body, and he was determined not to wake up with a hungover again. "How long since you had a sip of water, a week?" Noah asked as he watched the boy fill up his fourth glass.

"I'm an athlete, I gotta keep this body hydrated," Stiles said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Have you eaten yet?"

"I ate with the guys at the station," Noah answered, eyeing him with suspicion. The boy stared him back and they stood like that for a few long seconds. Stiles asked himself if his dad could smell beer on his breath. Which made him remember he had to buy more beer.

"Cool. I'm going to bed," he said, putting his glass in the sink and waving to his dad. He turned off the TV, grabbed his phone and went to his room. He took a quick shower and laid on his bed, facing the ceiling.

The last time he laid there, in the dark, his mind replayed the best moments of a day that would always be remembered. It was funny how he went from over the moon to hell in so little time. Stiles was actually thankful for the alcohol in his system, which made him sleepy enough so he didn't have problems falling asleep.

Xxxx

Her loose hair floated around her face, dancing in the breeze. The sun setting behind her made her shine like a goddess, as if she carried rays of sunlight between her curls. Her big eyes were amused as she watched him carefully. Her full lips curled up in a confident, yet sweet smile. It was clear she loved his silly face. Little did she know about the things she did to him.

"Kiss me, Stiles," Lydia murmured, and the boy didn't hesitate as he closed the gap between them with one large step.

Stiles sat up so quickly his head , he looked around just to make sure he was still in his room, laying in his bed. On his nightstand, his phone biped annoyingly. The boy threw his legs off the bed and turned off his alarm. He sighed heavily and let his head fall on his hands. Lydia haunting his dreams was really everything he needed now that he was adamant to forget her. He should have known that the kiss would change him; now that he didn't have to imagine anymore, now that he knew how her lips felt against his, he was afraid that his mind and body wouldn't rest until he got another dose of it.

He took a cold shower, got dressed, grabbed his things and went downstairs. Stiles had just reached the kitchen when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out, saw Lydia's name on the screen and moaned. The universe was definitely not on his side.

"Hey," he said when he accepted the call.

"Morning! Are you home yet?" Lydia asked.

"Yup."

"Oh, great! Listen, could you give me a ride? Sorry I'm just asking now, I totally forgot my aunt would need the car..."

Stiles opened his mouth to say "sure, no problem", but he soon closed it. It would be a long road until he stopped always saying yes to her.

"I, ahn... I can't 'cause my car, it, hum, broke down. It's in the shop," he said, congratulating himself for coming up with a believable excuse so fast. "Scott is taking me.

"Oh, okay. I'll talk to Allison, then," she said. "See you later."

The boy nodded, as if she could see him, and as soon as he finished the call, he pressed the number to call Scott on speed dial. He nervously chewed on a toast as he waited for his friend to pick up.

"Stiles, you..."

"Scott, I need you to take me to school today."

"What? Why?" He asked, and Stiles could picture him frowning on the other side.

"Because I told Lydia my car is in the shop."

"Is it?"

"Well, no."

"Then why the fuck did you say that?"

Stiles shook his head. "Long story. The point is I need a ride."

"Unlike you, asshole, my motorcycle really is in an actual shop. Because it actually needs repairs. And I told you that yesterday, remember, genius?"

The boy blinked. It was true that Scott had told him about some mechanical problems with his second handed motorcycle. Maybe Stiles' excuse wasn't so good after all.

"Then how are you gonna get to school?"

"Allison is taking me."

Stiles groaned, running a hand across his face. "Can you ask her to come pick me up too, please?"

"Dude, just drive your own car!"

"It is in the shop!"

"What the fuck is wrong- You know what, we need to talk," Scott said. "I'll see you in a bit."

And because of his stupidity, fifteen minutes later, Stiles found himself sitting on the back of Allison's car beside Lydia, who looked distractedly out the window. He angrily stared at the back of the front seat trying his hardest not to ignore her hair swaying in the wind and her perfume all around him. Obviously, he was doing a terrible job.

As soon as Allison parked her car, Stiles said goodbye to her friends and basically bolted to the building. He dedicated his day to avoid them, especially a certain strawberry blonde that seemed to be everywhere he went. It was also hard escaping from Scott, who seemed to be literally hunting his friend, looking for answers. On lunch time, after tiptoeing down the hallway and buying some snacks on the vending machine, Stiles hid in the corner of the library. He picked up a Chemistry book and started reading about the formulas, eating like a rat to not be noticed.

"You're such a jackass." The book almost flew off his hands and a scream got stuck on his throat. Stiles widened his eyes to Scott, who was casually leaning against a bookshelf next to him.

"What are you doing?!" Stiles asked with a slightly strangled voice. His buddy giggled and shook his head, sitting beside him.

"We need to talk."

"We do? 'Cause I really need to study..."

"Do not mess with me, Stiles," Scott said. "Let's talk about the kiss."

Stiles groaned and ran a hand across his face. "I shouldn't have told you that."

"But you did, and now you're gonna talk."

"Really, I don't..."

"Stiles."

The boy sighed, already knowing he wouldn't get away with it. "It was right before the game. Lydia came to talk to me, I had a small panic attack, then we kissed. That's it."

"What do you mean by 'that's it'? What's gotten into you?" Scott looked at his friend as if he had lost his mind, and Stiles just shrugged, keeping his eyes low. "Stiles, you and Lydia kissed. I always thought there would be fireworks or something when it finally happened."

Stiles scoffed. _When it finally happened_. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who had to quit on Lydia and him.

"It was better when the kiss only happened in my mind," he murmured. Scott changed seats and sat across the table from him.

"Why are you saying this? Stiles, _talk_ to me."

"Because," Stiles said, throwing his hands up with frustration, "Lydia doesn't feel anything for me, and she never will. I don't know why it took me so long to realize that, 'cause it's pretty fucking obvious. You know this kiss, that was supposed to be the best thing that's ever happened to me? It meant nothing to her. Absolutely nothing."

Scott shook his head. "You don't know that."

"Oh yeah, I do." The boy smiled bitterly. "She told me that herself, with every single word. She told me that was best if we just forgot what happened."

"And you agreed with that?"

Stiles sighed. "What was I supposed to do, Scott? I can't force her to feel the same way as I do. And you know what, I'm glad she told me that, I needed to hear her say it. I needed a dose of reality. My feelings for Lydia are not gonna take me anywhere." The boy bit his bottom lip and shook his head, eyeing his slightly trembling fingers. "I just got out of a relationship, and Malia keeps saying we're fine but she barely talks to me and... I'm a mess, Scott. I cannot handle another heartbreak right now. I just can't."

"I'm sure Lydia never meant to hurt you," Scott softly said. "You're her best friend, man, she cares a lot about you..."

"I know she _cares_ , I don't want her to _care_ , I want her to..." Stiles shut his mouth, feeling his eyes burn with upcoming tears. Scott observed him with worry, hating to see the suffering on his friend's face. "I can't be in love with her anymore. I'm tired and I'm fucking done."

"What are you going to do now?" Scott asked.

"I'll forget Lydia Martin. Even if it drives me crazy, I'll forget her."


	23. She Has To Know

**A/N: Heoo! How's 2018 treating you so far?**

Lydia didn't understand what was happening to Stiles, but suddenly he started acting like someone she didn't know.

At first, she thought his change of attitude had something to do with his new position on the social chain of Beacon Hills High School. It saddened her, but it made sense. Stiles had made coach Finstock regret not putting him on the field before; the way he was welcomed by the team and by the students made his performance improve even more. Stiles got closer to another group, with people as popular as him, started to get invited - and to attend - to all the parties; suddenly he was friends with everyone and it seemed natural, as if things had been like that since day one of high school.

Stiles and Scott were still best friends, inseparable. But, while one of them ran from the spotlight, glad for the attention, but politely refusing it, the other happily accepted everything he was offered. It was clear Stiles had the intention to keep his old friends close, but a distance between them was impossible to avoid. Stiles didn't join them for lunch everyday anymore, he didn't even spend so much time with them anymore. Allison and Scott felt his absence, but they were both happy Stiles didn't just left them for his new friends, they could see he was making an effort and that they were still special. He wasn't just gone, and that was really something.

But it was different for Lydia. She felt like Stiles did leave her, but not for someone else; he just seemed to be turning his back on her. He came up with excuses to leave whenever she joined the group, he treated her with short sentences and monosyllabic answers; he didn't look her in the eyes, touch her or even come too close anymore. Lydia asked herself a thousand times if she had done something wrong or offended him somehow, because it did feel like he was punishing her. That was probably how she acted her friends while she was with Theo. No wonder it didn't take long for them to realize something was wrong back then; it simply felt terrible to be treated like that.

Something happened, and then they were barely friends. Stiles became a totally different person to her and suddenly they hadn't had a decent conversation in over a month. Lydia was almost convinced he had been kidnapped and replaced by a poorly made copy, a colder version of himself. And even though she saw him every day, had classes with him and bumped into him in the hallway sometimes, Lydia missed Stiles deeply. It felt weird because he was right _there_ , so close, but acting like she wasn't. Or like he didn't want her to be.

Lydia stared at his name on her phone, her finger hovering over the screen. That had become some kind of ritual, but she never got to call him. She didn't have the courage and she didn't know why. She hadn't been alone with him for so long that she knew a phone call would be too awkward and too intimate to do her any good. She sighed, tossed her phone aside and pulled her comforter over her head. If only she could wake up and see the distance between them vanish.

Xxxx

Stiles spent all the time he could in the library. Between lacrosse practice and social events, he still had to keep good grades to stay in the team. That was what kept him studying hard, since he had no idea what he was going to do after he graduated. Scott, who also wanted to stay in the team, but, unlike him, had plans to enter a good vet school, always joined him for his study sessions.

A tall brunette walked up to their table, interrupting their concentration. She leaned over Stiles' shoulder, whispered something in his ear and gave him a longstanding kiss on his cheek as she slipped a folded piece of paper into his hand. The girl then straightened her back and calmly made her way out of the library, swaying her wide hips. But before she was gone, she looked over her shoulder and blinked to the boy, who she was sure was watching her walk away.

Stiles ran a hand across his face, feeling a sudden heat on his neck, and laid his head on top of his folded arms.

"Veronica Mendez, hun?" Asked Scott, who had watched the whole thing with a raised eyebrow. Stiles groaned, earning a laugh from his friend. "Are you two...?"

"No," Stiles said, leaning back in his chair. "Yes." He read the piece of paper on his hand and a small smile appeared on his lips. "Definitely maybe."

Scott nodded, observing his friend with amusement. "How many numbers you get like that?" He asked. "'Cause If your goal is having all the senior girls on your phone, you're getting there really fast."

The other boy leaned over the table, his eyes shining with a mix of panic and excitement.

"It's insane," he said. "I swear I have spoken with more girls on the past few weeks than I have in my entire life!"

"Not just talked, obviously."

Stiles smiled. "Everybody loves Stiles."

Scott wrinkled his nose. "Don't start talking about yourself in the third person, let's end with this dumb jock stereotype, okay. Even though you've turned into a walking stereotype already."

The other boy opened his mouth, outraged, but instead of defending himself, he just shrugged.

"You're right," he said. "But I really don't care. Cheerleaders don't give a shit about the guys on the bench. I've never been so desirable."

"Yeah, but you should take it easy, man. You don't have to be with *all* of them at the same time."

Stiles shrugged again. "I don't mind."

"You don't... Ok. You've lost control," Scott said, pointing his finger at the boy. "Do you even bother asking their names? Did you call that girl from the other day?"

"What girl from which day?"

"From last week. Short, brunette, curly hair..." Stiles kept looking at him as if he had no idea who he was talking about. "You woke up in her bed."

"Oh, right! Samantha!" He exclaimed, but then frowned. "Wait no, Samantha's blonde. I think you're talking about Alice. Anyway, I haven't called neither of them."

"You've woken up in both of their beds?"

"Hey, I was drunk in both occasions."

"That's not a very good defense, you know. You being drunk is ridiculously common these days," Scott said. "How many beds that weren't yours have you woken up in?"

"Only two! What kind of guy do you think I am?"

Scott gave him a small smile. Stiles apparently didn't see the irony in his own question: he had been acting in such an uncharacteristic way that it would be almost impossible for his friend to answer.

Stiles had begun training like his life depended on it. Greenberg still wasn't fit to go back on the field due to his broken arm, but even if he was, he would never get back his spot on the team. Stiles gave everything he had on the field, working harder than Scott had ever seen. He was proud of his friend, who proved constantly that he deserved to be there. His agility was impressive and his effort, even more. The fact that he was becoming a great lacrosse player would be just an addition to the Stiles they all knew and loved. But then popularity came, along with the parties, the alcohol and the girls. Stiles never turned down an invitation and enjoyed it until the last minute. Him getting drunk had really become more common, and it didn't happen only during the weekends. He hooked up with several girls, taking their time with then and then walking away without looking back; for those who knew the awkward boy, who talked too much when he got nervous, especially in front of girls, that was a hell of a change.

Scott tried to never leave his side. He knew what made his friend change in such a radical way, though he didn't approve his methods. It was clear Stiles was doing everything to keep himself busy, forcing himself to focus on anything but Lydia. Between the exhaustion from the practices, the lightness from the booze and the long study sessions, he had very little time left to think about his unsuccessful romance.

"Don't look at me like that," Stiles reprimanded him. "I know all about your adventures before you started dating Allison."

"I know you do, that's why I'm not judging," Scott camly said. "I'm just wondering if it's working."

The other boy just stared at his friend, locking his jaw. He didn't need to ask what Scott was talking about. The truth was that Stiles hadn't gotten over his feeling for Lydia yet. It was really hard when he was still looking for the details of her face in other girls - her small, round nose, her full lips, her big green eyes and even her freckles,- when every time he kissed someone he remembered how it felt to kiss her, to breathe the same air as her. It was hard, but he still tried. He wouldn't allow his mind to wander and find her somewhere. He wouldn't allow his eyes to admire her beauty, nor his mouth to say something it shouldn't.

Stiles took a deep breath and buried his face in his hands. Now he actually felt a sting of desperation every time he thought about how far he was from letting her go. During most of the time, he only had a small idea of what he was doing; he just did what he could to get rid of the weight. Lacrosse helped, the booze helped, girls helped. Nothing really worked.

"It doesn't matter," he said, letting his hands fall on the table. "I'm trying, Scott. I'm doing what I can."

"I know, man, but maybe..." Scott's words were interrupted by the bell. Stiles sighed, relieved the conversation wouldn't happen, and quickly stood up, hanging his backpack on his shoulder and gathering his belongings on the table.

"See you later," he said, then walked out of the library. Scott sighed and leaned back on his chair. If only he could find a way to help his friend in one of those books.

Xxxx

Lydia didn't know what she was feeling, and she couldn't look away. Not far from where she stood, Stiles was leaning against the lockers as he talked to a pretty and tall blonde girl. She kept a minimal distance between their bodies and had a hand placed on his bicep. Lydia didn't have to be a genius to understand the kind of conversation they were having.

Lydia's skin tingled, and she had that strange feeling that her blood was heating up slowly in her veins. She balled her hands into fists by her side and a sudden wave of rage made her want to punch something. Her brain seemed to be having a hard time digesting that scene in front of her, which left her almost paralyzed. She realized she wanted that blonde to back off. Who was she, after all?

"It's weird, isn't it?" A voice asked right beside her, making her jump. Lydia hadn't noticed Malia approaching her and standing by her side to watch the scene. "I never took him as the womanizer type."

"Yeah, hum..." Lydia blinked and cleared her throat, caught off guard. "Me neither."

"It's funny 'cause it took him decades to get to me. Actually, I was the one who made the first move." Malia crossed her arms on her chest and narrowed her eyes. "He's almost like a professional now. With whom did he learn how to be so fast?"

The redhead opened her mouth as her eyes went back and forth between the girl beside her and Stiles, but she didn't know exactly what to say. The simple fact that Malia was there, casually talking to her, was already something to process.

"I, ahn, I imagine it must be hard for you?" She didn't mean for it to come out as a question, but it just seemed like the right thing to say. The blonde just shrugged.

"Sure, it bothers me a little, but I'm not gonna be a hypocrite. I've been having my fun with some guys, including players, if you know what I mean," Malia said. The redhead bit her bottom lip and nodded, looking away. "Is it hard for you?"

Lydia frowned and looked at the blonde, who watched her with attention. "Why would it be hard for me?" She asked back.

Malia scoffed and turned her eyes back to Stiles and the other blonde, who were now walking away together, his hand on the small of her back.

"It doesn't bother you at all?" She leaned in closer to Lydia, who still had her eyes on the couple. "Not even a little?"

The truth was that yes, it did bother her a lot. Lydia couldn't help but feel jealous of that unknown girl who was getting all the attention that _she_ wasn't getting from him. Stiles was _her_ best friend, why wouldn't he talk to _her_? And why was he getting so close to all those girls while he got more and more distant from her? Lydia knew it was stupid to even think that they were stealing him from her, but it felt like that was exactly what was happening.

"Yeah, it bothers me," she answered, then sighed. "It's just weird."

"It only bothers you 'cause it's weird?" The redhead eyed Malia suspiciously. Where was she going with all those questions? Lydia wasn't open to discuss everything she felt at that moment, at least not with someone who she thought hated her until a few minutes before.

"Yes, Malia, why are you asking?" She questioned. The blonde shrugged with a smile playing on her lips.

"No reason," she said. "I just thought you were smarter than this."

"What do you..." Lydia started asking, but Malia didn't wait for her to finish and simply left. The redhead closed her mouth and snorted. She closed her locker with a loud bang, spun on her heels and marched to her classroom.

She had completely forgotten that Stiles and her shared the same class on the next period, so she was caught off guard when he entered the classroom, almost twenty minutes later. His hair was even messier and his shirt, more wrinkled. The blonde and him had definitely gone somewhere more private after their little PDA on the hallway. Lydia took a deep breath, her nails digging into the palm of her hands. She did not want to imagine what they were doing alone in a dark, empty classroom, and she was mad, at Stiles and at that blonde. So mad that she had to stop herself from turning her head and yelling at him.

Stiles sat on the back of the class, as far as possible from Lydia. He had grown to hate every class he shared with her: he still couldn't avoid staring at the back of her perfect head. Those were the only moments where he actually looked at her, and he still loved watching her use all of that intelligence from that brilliant mind. Stiles thought that anyone who didn't admire how amazing she was, was nothing but an idiot. Every time she raised her small hand he waited to listen to her asking a really elaborate questions or talk about scientific things he knew nothing about, which was impressive and also incredibly attractive.

And there he was thinking about her again. Stiles groaned and laid his forehead on the desk. What was left for him to do to let her go?

Xxxx

Saturdays had been sacred since pre-school. But, on high school, it had a total different meaning from when they were kids. The Lake House was the salvation of most students in Beacon Hills: it was the perfect place to party after a game, to celebrate birthdays and holidays, but mostly to simply put aside their daily worries.

Stiles had become a loyal visitor of the Lake House. That place had been the scenery of his best and worst moments for the past weeks, both results of heavy drinking. In that Saturday, the students were celebrating a hard week of exams, which made the place more crowded than usual.

The boy raised his arm and waved when Scott arrived. Behind him came Allison and Lydia. Stiles noticed the long-sleeved floral dress the redhead wore, which ended right above her knees, exposing her legs, and gulped down all the beer from the bottle he had just opened. Lydia never went to the House, what was she doing there? What was Scott doing, taking her there?

He bent down to get another beer. That was going to be a hell of a long night.

Stiles drank ridiculously fast. In a few hours, when everybody else was still pretty sober, he already felt his head spin and his limbs get heavier. He kept a big distance from where Lydia was sitting with Allison and a few other people, but every time she appeared on his field of view, he felt like walking to her and just hugging her. He wanted to make her laugh or simply be near her. And then he got mad at himself for wanting such things. Since he couldn't be with any other girl while _she_ was there, he limited himself to drinking.

Lydia didn't even want to go to the Lake House. Allison had to make a lot of effort to convince her to go and free herself from the hours she had spent reviewing for the exams. But, the moment she saw Stiles, she knew she should have stayed in her room. He deliberately ignored her until she silently said "fuck it" and walked away. She could prove herself she could be in the same place as him and not get hurt by the way she treated her.

Scott looked at his brother with worry. Stiles had a deep frown on his forehead as he drank his beer, and stared at his sneakers as if he was pissed at them. From time to time, he would raise his eyes and shoot a quick glance at Lydia. Scott didn't know what Stiles was thinking - he _couldn't_ know, since the boy was way too drunk,- but he felt bad for Stiles. He opened his mouth to ask if everything was fine, but he never got to verbalize the question.

"Yo, Lydia! Hey!" Stiles suddenly yelled, making everyone around him look. Lydia, who had walked out to the nearest cooler to get a few beers, froze.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Scott murmured as Stiles got on his feet, almost losing his balance. The boy didn't hear his friend.

"Hey, Lydia!" Stiles called again. "What are you doing here, hun? You never come here, why the fuck did you come?"

Lydia, completely caught off guard, opened her mouth to respond, but she didn't know what to say. Stiles could barely stand on his feet, but he took a few steps towards her. His eyes were focused on hers and he seemed mad, but she got confused when she noticed a hint of sadness on his face.

"You just had to make everything harder," he said with a accusatory tone, tossing his bottle on the ground. "You just had to... I'm trying, okay? I'm fucking _trying_."

Scott got up and put his hand on the boy's arm. "Stiles, stop," he told his friend. "Come on, let's go get some water..."

"I don't want... no fucking water!" Stiles snapped, violently pulling his arm from Scott's grip. His loud tone of voice managed to kill every conversation around them, and the silence made it feel like everyone was holding their breaths. "I wanted you, you know," he continued, ignoring his friend and pointing a finger at Lydia, who stood choked on the same spot. Stiles smiled humorlessly. "I wanted you... Really fucking bad. But do you think I want to be in love with you forever? Hun?"

Lydia blinked, his words knocking the air out of her lungs. And if she didn't know what to say before, now her mind was just completely blank. She felt all the eyes on her, burning her skin. None of that made any sense. She would've noticed if... She would've _known_. But Stiles wasn't lying; he was definitely drunk and could barely stand up straight, but she couldn't see pain behind his smile and his tone was serious. With a twist on her gut, she realized that he had never been more honest, and the world seemed to shift a little, leaving her stunned.

Stiles let out a short, bitter laugh.

"Wow, you look so surprised!" He laughed again. "You really hadn't noticed, had you? EVERYBODY knew, except for the brilliant Lydia Martin. And I was stupid, stupid stupid... Chasing after you like a fucking..."

"Stiles..." Was the single word that escaped her lips.

"Dude, come _on_ ," Scott insisted.

"No! I should've said something a loong time ago. She has to... She has to know." Stiles wet his bottom lip, laying his eyes on Lydia again. "That's right, Lydia Martin, I was... Nah, I still am. In love with you. Always have been. It hurts, you know? It fucking hurts to love you. And I just..." Stiles shook his head. "I mean what else could I do? But don't worry, I... I'm dealing with it, okay? I'm gonna do... something? I don't know. I'm just gonna let you go. So fucking _go_ already!" He yelled, making Lydia jump.

" _Stiles_ ," Scott pleaded again and, this time, Stiles listened and let himself be dragged out of there. Scott sent Lydia a worried look before taking his friend to the car. The girl was still petrified, wanting the ground to swallow her up and make her disappear.


	24. She Couldn't Have Been More Wrong

The first thing Stiles did when he realized he wasn't in his bed was checking if he still had his pants on. In situations like that, where the pillows weren't comfortable enough under his head and the sheets didn't smell like him, he usually found himself with half of his clothes off or just completely naked, lying beside a girl whose name he didn't remember.

As soon as he saw that his clothes were still on, he let out a relieved sigh. Sleeping with random girls and then forgetting about it could lead to the last thing he wanted as a senior year student: a child. Stiles laid back again and tried to let his body relax, which was impossible to do with a headache that seemed to be splitting his skull in two and his stomach twisting. The boy moaned and put a pillow over his face, wanting to shield his sensitive eyes from the all the light in the room. He was used to waking up with a hangover, but what the hell had happened the night before?

"Oh good, you're awake." Stiles heard Scott's voice say. "Sleep well?"

"Scott where am I?" Stiles asked, his voice muffled by the pillow. He heard his friend chuckle and sit on the bed.

"In my room, obviously. Who else gives shelter to your drunk ass?" Stiles groaned in agreement. "Here, drink."

Scott handed him a bottle of water, which Stiles grabbed than sat up, leaning his back against the headboard. He took two long refreshing gulps while he looked around the room.

"How did I end up here?" He asked. Scott raised his eyebrows.

"You don't remember what happened yesterday?"

"No... I don't..." Scott narrowed his eyes at Scott, who watched him expectantly. "Why? What happened?"

"Oh, you will remember. You will."

Stiles frowned, forcing his brain to fill in the blanks despite the pain. Yesterday he went to the House, as usual, he met his friends, as usual, and then what? He saw Lydia. He remembered feeling upset and then... Everything came rushing back like an avalanche. He saw himself confronting her, making a scene in front of everyone. He was taking advantage of his drunkenness; alcohol made him feel fearless and reckless, it made him not care at all about the consequences. He remembered not thinking twice before saying exactly what he had in mind. And he remembered her look on her face - shocked, confused,- as she listened to his words, and that he hated it. The he remembered passing out in the back of a car.

"Oh, no," he murmured. "Oh, god."

"Yup."

"Oh no, Scott, oh my _god_."

"I knew you would remember."

"I'm gonna throw up."

"There's a bucket by the bed."

Stiles leaned over the bed, grabbed the bucket placed strategically for that and expelled his guts in it. He coughed a few times and after making sure he wouldn't vomit again, he wiped his mouth with toilet paper left by the bucket and laid his head back against the headboard.

"Ugh, I can't believe this is happening," he said, shutting his eyes. "I refuse."

"You can refuse all you want, but it did happen. You declared your love for Lydia in front of all those people."

"Aw, fuck man." Stiles covered his face with his hands, every fiber of his being wishing that the whole thing was nothing but a nightmare he could blame on the alcohol. "Holy shit, Scott. Holy fucking shit. Aw man, this is bad. This is so bad I can't even... How could you let me fuck up like this?"

"I swear I tried to stop you, dude, but you just wouldn't listen," Scott said. Stiles moaned again and turned his body on the bed, laying with his face against the mattress. "Probably it's not as bad as it seems. I mean, look on the bright side. Now that she knows everything, it's gonna be easier for you to move on, right?"

"I don't think we're in the same place, Scott, 'cause there are not bright sides where I'm standing. I'm in a cave. No, I'm in hell. There's no such thing as bright sides in hell," he grunted.

"But doesn't it feel good to get it out of your chest? The way you did it wasn't ideal, sure, but don't you feel, I don't know, relieved?"

Stiles laid on his back, staring at the ceiling. "I thought I would, if I ever told her. I've always known that she wouldn't feel the same, but I would feel better, you know? But I rubbed on her face that I'm in love with her and basically called her stupid for not noticing. I highly doubt she would even look at me anymore."

"Stiles, it's not gonna be like this."

He shook his head and sighed deeply. "I don't know, man. I shouldn't have done it, I should." Stiles covered his face again, feeling his eyes burn. "Lydia must hate me now. She must think I'm a coward for keeping it to myself for so long. What the fuck do I do now? My plan was never to lose her."

"You're not gonna lose her," Scott insisted. "Fine, it must be hard to find out you best friend's been in love with you for years. She just needs some time to let it all sink in, but it's not gonna make you less important to her. Lydia won't just exclude you from her life. Just give her some time."

"But everything is gonna be weird now. If Lydia still wants to be my friend, which I doubt... she'll never look at me the same way. And what am I supposed to do? Go to her and be like 'Hey, so, I'm in love with you, crazy hun?'" Stiles wet his lips. "That stupid declaration will always be between us. I really fucked up, big time."

Scott sighed. "Well, I think you're overreacting a little. Maybe you'll be surprised by her reaction"

Stiles looked at her friend with a dead serious expression. "You're really trying to give me hope right now? That's cruel."

Scott raised both his eyebrows and his hands. "I'm just saying."

"Don't say it. I'm trying to accept my faith." The boy sighed again. "This is one of the worst days of my life."

"Ah, you know what, enough of this." Scott left the bed and tapped his friend on the leg. "Come on, get up and go take a shower."

Stiles groaned and put a pillow over his head. "I'm never gonna leave again."

"First of all, this is _my_ house. And you will get up and pull yourself together even if I have to force you do it," Scott said. The other boy simply gave him the middle finger. "I swear to god I'm gonna dumb this bucket of vomit on your face."

"Okay, okay, I'm getting up. Fucking rude, man," he grunted as he slid off the bed. Scott picked up the bucket and threatened to throw it at him, making Stiles run to the door. "Your'e not being considerate, you know."

"I'll show you inconsiderate if you don't leave this room right now, drama queen."

Xxxx

Lydia was silent during the whole trip back home. She watched the trees passing by them in a blur as Allison sent her worried glances, knowing that her friend was deep in her thoughts. The redhead didn't even move until they were parked outside her house.

"Did you know?" She suddenly asked, breaking the silence. Allison wet her lips, preparing herself.

"Yes, I did," she answered. Lydia sighed and closed her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't my secret, Lydia. I didn't have the right."

The redhead nodded, knowing she was right. "But did he tell you or did you just... know?"

"Lydia..."

"How did you find out?" She insisted, looking at Allison. One thing he had said - " _EVERYBODY knew, except for the brilliant Lydia Martin"_ \- kept playing over and over in her head. "Please, tell me."

Allison sighed heavily. "I've always suspected that he liked you, even when we were kids. I mean, he treated you like a princess, it was cute and funny, and a little weird. You never see a boy treating a girl like he did to you. So we grew up and it wasn't a suspicion anymore, I was sure he had feelings for you. It got to the point where Stiles just knew that Scott and I knew. We never had to ask. And then you left and..." The brunette eyes her with uncertainty, but Lydia nodded for her to continue. "You left and it was hard for him. He was a total wreck. It was only then that I knew that what he felt for you wasn't childish anymore. It was serious and real. Stiles missed you more than Scott and I together."

The lump in her throat made it hard for Lydia to breathe. The muscles of her face contracted as her eyes started to burn.

"So I broke his heart," she concluded in a low voice. How could she be so blind? It was harder to breathe now, because of the growing pain in her chest. Lydia opened the door and threw her legs out.

"Lydia, wait...!" Allison called.

"I need to be alone," she quickly said, closing the door behind her and marching to her her house without looking back.

She rushed upstairs and locked herself in her room. Lydia sat on her bed and slowly sunk into the mattress, hugging her legs. The tears were still stuck behind her eyes, her sobs were still stuck in her throat. She felt like she was about to implode at any minute.

Years ago, she could swear she knew everything about her best friend: his favorite foods, favorite movies, favorite bands. She knew all about habits and crazes, what he loved and hated to do. She knew all about his life, the best and the worst moments. She swore she knew Stiles as well as she knew herself. But she couldn't have been more wrong. Lydia, so smart and brilliant, wasn't able to realize he didn't see her just as a friend, which was something that, apparently, everyone else had noticed.

Lydia wiped a tear that had quietly made its way down her cheek and got up to grab her purse. She picked out her phone, opened her contacts list and scrolled down to the letter S. Her finger hovered over his name; she wanted to call, or text him. She wanted to tell him she was sorry, and ask him to forgive her for being so ignorant. She needed to say something - _anything_ ,- but she knew nothing would erase what she had done to him. So, just like many times before, she couldn't click on his name. She had broken his heart without even realizing it; what _could_ she say after that?

Furious at herself, he threw her phone across the room. She buried her face on her pillow and screamer, frustrated and mad.

So, Stiles was in love with her. Always had been, apparently. What would have happened if she had found out about it years ago? Would she have walked away, or would she have gotten closer? Would she have changed for him? Would she have tried harder to stay in touch?

Would she have fallen in love too?

Xxxx

Lydia slowly opened her eyelids, frowning when the light hit her eyes. She moved on her bed and groaned in pain when she lifted her neck, stiff from the position she had slept in. She still had the clothes she used the night before on, she hadn't even taken off her boots. Sighing, she threw her legs off the bed and got up. She grabbed fresh clothes and a towel and went to the bathroom, where she took a long warm shower to relax her muscles. On her way back to the room, Lydia noticed her phone on the floor, where she had thrown it, and picked it up. The screen, which she thought would be broken, had one single crack from corner to corner.

She sat on the bed and unlocked the device. There were a few messages from Allison and Scott, but nothing from Stiles. Disappointing, but not surprising; she was the one who should talk first anyway. And she was planning on going to him in person, as soon as she figured out what to say. But so far, no words or apologies sounded good enough.

Feeling lost, she laid back on the bed. She thought about the night she went out for dinner with Allison, Scott, Malia and Stiles, the first night the gang went out together after she moved back to Beacon Hills. She remembered the look on his face when they argued outside the restaurant. " _And do you know how it feels like? To lose someone and know they're out there, doing everything they can to forget about you, to get you out of their life?"_ Lydia hadn't understood how much those words meant. She hadn't really noticed the amount pain hidden behind them. She had been simply blind, ignorant of how much he had suffered because of her.

The tears came rushing back, and she pressed her pillow over her head. She wished she could fall asleep and go back in time, just so she could fix the mess she had made.

Lydia spent the day in bed, hiding from the world. She held onto her phone, waiting for something, calculating her next move. Nothing seemed nearly good enough so she laid there, watching the morning pass by, drowning in her own thoughts. Only when the sun started to set and when she couldn't ignore her growling stomach anymore, Lydia dragged herself off the bed and finally left her room.

Monica was laying on the couch under a thick blanket while she watched some action movie, eating popcorn off a big bowl on her lap. Lydia plopped down beside her legs, grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoved it in her mouth.

"Did you spend the whole day in your room? I thought you were out," Monica said, watching her niece with raised eyebrows. The girl kept chewing slowly, eyeing the television even though she wasn't really paying attention to the movie. "Is everything alright?"

Lydia swallowed and stayed silent for a few more minutes before asking: "Why did you think Stiles liked me?"

Monica quickly sat up, frowning at her niece, not understanding where the question was coming from. "Well, he always took good care of you, it was clear you were important to him..."

"No, not when we were kids. I mean now. Why do you think Stiles likes me now?"

The woman opened and closed her mouth like a fish, blinking fast as she figured out what to say. "Hum... He still looks at you the same way." Monica smiled lightly, satisfied with her answer. "Sometimes it looks like you're the only thing he can actually see. Haven't you ever noticed he always seems to be admiring you?"

"No..." Lydia murmured. She had lost track of how many time she felt his eyes on her, making her feel somehow safe all the time, but she'd never really put too much thought into it.

"People live entire lives without ever finding someone who looks at them the way Stiles looks at you. It's like watching poetry, it's nice. There's also the way his face light up when you arrive, and even after all this time, you still seem to make him a little nervous..." Monica stopped talking and observed her niece, who had her nose scrunched up as she stared at the television. The woman grabbed the remote control and pressed pause, intrigued by Lydia's attitude. "Why are you asking?"

The redhead sniffed. "Last night Stiles got drunk and declared his love for me. In front of everybody. He told me he's always been in love with me, but that I didn't need to worry 'cause he was dealing with it." Lydia rubbed her eyes and sighed. "Whatever that means."

Monica's jaw dropped to the ground and her eyes went wide as two plates. "He did what?!"

"He-"

"Oh my god!"

"I know."

"He said he was in love? He actually said those words?" The girl nodded and Monica let out a squeal. "Lydia, that's amazing!"

Lydia frowned. "What? No, it's fucking terrible!" She exclaimed. "You just listed a thousand things that indicated that he liked me in a non-friendly way, and I managed to overlook every single one of those things for years. I'm sure one day he just went like: oh, I won't even bother trying to hide it anymore, Lydia won't notice anything, anyway." The girl scoffed, feeling frustrated.

"I think you never saw anything other than friendship in his actions because you're just used to them. The Stiles you've always known looks at you that way, and cares about you and makes you laugh. All of this is so normal to you that you didn't see there were something between the lines to be read."

"But I should have seen it! Stiles suffered for all those years because of my stupidity and..." Lydia shook her head. "I don't know how to fix it. I don't even know if I can."

Monica bit her lower lip, thinking. A few seconds later, she eyed her niece with curiosity. "Lydia, do you love him?"

"Of course I do, he's my best friend."

"No, I mean... Have it ever crossed your mind that you may love him the way he loves you?"

Lydia frowned. Her mind immediately reminded her of what she felt when she saw Stiles and that girl in the hallway. It reminded her of the countless time her eyes wandered around his body, of the time they almost kiss and, finally of the time they did kiss. Sometimes, when she got distracted, she caught herself thinking about his lips against hers; her heart always started to beat faster as her cheeks started to burn. Lydia did love him, there was no doubt about it, but being in love with him was a whole other thing. She had never thought about before, but now that she had, it just felt strange.

"No, I love him as a friend." She sighed. But maybe if I had known about it sooner... I don't know. Maybe I would've fallen for him too, eventually. I mean, Stiles is... Stiles."

"What about now? What's stopping you from falling for him now?"

The girl looked at her aunt with uncertainty. Perhaps it would be easy to fall for him, but if it was meant to happen, wouldn't it have happened already? If all those feelings had time and motive to grow in her, why didn't they? Wouldn't it be beautiful if they had fallen in love for each other at the same time?

The ring of the doorbell pulled her out of her reveries. Sighing, Lydia left the couch, walked to the door and pulled it open. Stiles stood on the other side, pale and scared. She didn't have time to ask, because her eyes quickly focused on the problem: Stiles had a hand pressed against the side of his body, where a growing stain of dark blood tainted his white shirt.

"Lydia..." He gasped, and before she could do anything, his knees gave in and he collapsed. Lydia stepped forward and held him, but his weight forced her to sink to her knees.

"MONICA!" She yelled, pressing both of her hands against the wound and staring at the unconscious boy on her lap as the blood pooled on the floor around them.


	25. Maybe He Was It

Lydia would never be able to explain how she managed to drive them to the hospital without causing an accident. Her whole body was shaking as she gripped tightly on the steering wheel, driving over the speeding limit. On the backseat, Monica explained the situation to someone through the phone while doing what she can so Stiles, laying on her lap, wouldn't die right there.

A team was already waiting for them when she parked in front of the hospital. The girl jumped out of the car as soon as she could. Her aunt was shared information regarding his state so far to the doctors as the team launched to the car, but Lydia didn't hear much. The only thing she could see was her best friend, lying unconscious and covered in blood on a stretcher and they rushed back to the building. She followed them, mechanically putting one foot after the other, and stopped only when she felt two hands pressing on her shoulders.

"Lydia." The girl slowly lifted her eyes, focusing on Monica, standing right in front of her. The expression on her aunt's face was worried, but calm at the same time; she was way more used to stressful situations like that. "I'm sorry, dear, but you can't go any further."

Lydia blinked a few times, and nodded. "Right, I... The Sheriff... And Scott and Allison, I..." She wet her dry lips, struggling. "I gotta..."

"I'll talk to them, don't worry about that. Now I need you to wait here while I ask someone to come help you get cleaned up, okay?" Lydia nodded again. Monica sighed and kissed her on the cheek. "Everything is gonna be fine."

Once she was alone, the girl looked down at her hands. They were sticky, and stained. Red. Stiles' blood was all over her fingers, arms, clothes. Lydia gasped. Her vision got blurry and she forced herself not to pass out, or vomit. She couldn't wait for anyone anymore, she couldn't just stand there. Lydia lifted her eyes and follow the signs that showed the way to the bathroom.

After closing the door behind her, she rushed to the sink, where she started to wash her hands and forearms. She scrubbed the soap on her skin and rinsed it, but the red refused to leave. At last, she put her hands on each side of the sink and gave up, breathing heavily. Lydia closed her eyes, trying to put herself together as she felt her insides come crumbling down. But she was falling apart and she couldn't make it stop now. She lifted her head and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Red fingerprints contrasted with the pale skin of her cheek, and there was dry blood also on the tips of her hair. So much blood, so much blood... How would he ever be okay?

The numbness finally began leaving her body for good, quickly being replaced by waves of pure fear and desperation that knocked the air out of her and brought hot tears to her eyes. Her heart was too tight it seemed impossible for it to keep beating; the pain was almost unbearable.

Lydia didn't understand what was happening. She couldn't figure out which series of events led Stiles to show up, bloody and weak, by her door. She couldn't think of anything other than the fact that he was probably dying somewhere in that hospital. And, if that really happened, his last words would have been her name. That hurt too much, knowing that she was the last thing that crossed his mind before he collapsed, it was just too heavy.

It was funny that the only thing that could make her feel better was a hug from him. Not only because his life was in danger - thought she wished that holding him tightly was enough to keep him from slipping away,- but also because her trembling and fragile body craved a small dose of Stiles. She needed the calm he brought her, the comfort, the true medicine that was having his arms around her, his smell, the heat from his body. Lydia missed him so much that she felt like screaming, like begging God, the cosmos, or whatever was responsible for taking lives away to let him stay. She just needed him to _stay_. She refused to deal with the fact that she was about to lose him. Without saying goodbye, or apologizing. She needed to tell him how sorry she was for everything, she needed a chance to hope he'd forgive her for hurting him so much. Lydia would never have peace if she didn't even try to fix the damage she had made.

The redhead wiped her face with the back of her hand, getting rid of the tears, and rushed out the door. She ran down the hallway from where she had come, retracing her steps to find out where they had taken him. Lydia just needed to apologise. She just needed a minute with him to say she was sorry. So she dodged everything and every person on her way until strong hands grabbed her arms, making her stop.

"Let me go! I need to talk to him! Please!" She begged as she struggled to break free from the nurse's grip. "I just need to talk to him!"

"Miss, please calm down!"

"STILES!" She yelled louder. Could he hear her? Was he close enough? Was he even still alive to do so? "Please!"

"Lydia!" Allison jogged towards them, wearing jeans and an oversized sweater, her hair up in a messy bun as if she had just been pulled out from the bed. "I'll take care of her, thank you," she told the nurse. The man let go of Lydia and she rushed to her friend, who hugged her tightly.

"Ally, I need to talk to him," Lydia murmured against the brunette's shoulder. "I gotta tell him... I need to..."

Allison sighed heavily, caressing her hair. A tear slipped from her eyes and she pressed her lips together to repress a sob. "You can talk to him later."

"No, it has to be _now_." The redhead shook her head and stepped back from the hug . "I have to see him now... It has to be before him..."

"Lyds, look at me." Allison grabbed Lydia's shoulders and lowered her head so their eyes were on the same level. "Stiles is gonna be alright. I don't even understand what happened, but I know he's gonna find a way out of this. You know how he is. Stiles always figures out a way. We just have to... wait, okay?"

Lydia nodded. "Okay," she murmured. The brunette used her thumbs to wipe the tears from under her friend's eyes.

"I brought you some clothes. Monica said you'd need them," Allison said, trying hard not to give Lydia's tainted clothes a second look. The redhead nodded again, and they walked in silence to the bathroom. There was no need to share comforting words; they would not change anything, after all.

Xxxx

Lydia looked down at her hands. She still saw red, even though her skin was clean. The vision of her bloody hands seemed to be burned in her eyes; and maybe the blood would always stay there, haunting her forever.

She had lost track of how many hours had gone by, but she knew what all that waiting meant: Stiles had died, and nobody wanted to tell them. Lydia wanted to get up and get away from the tired and desolated looks on her family's face, she didn't want to be a part of that horrible scene anymore, but she doubted she could leave, no matter how much she wanted it. The giant hole that had grown in her chest left her weak and oddly lightweight. Her heartbeat echoed, pounding into the empty. She was curled up in a armchair and she ignored her legs going numb because she couldn't move; she felt like she could fall apart in a dozen pieces if she did so.

Lydia had lived a long time without Stiles. Years without thinking about him. And during the few months that had passed since she moved back to Beacon Hills, he went back to being one of the people she cared about the most, to the point where she could only wonder how she managed to spend so many years without him; those months had been enough to get her hooked up on having him around again. Stiles was the kind of person you didn't know you had to have in your life until you meet them. Suddenly, she couldn't imagine herself living a world where he didn't exist.

Lydia didn't remember ever telling him that she loved him, she wasn't even sure if she had made it clear. Stiles said things like *"I don't know how to be someone who doesn't care about you"* and she never really knew what he meant. She should have noticed the quiet _I love you's_ behind so many words he had said; that was a classic "you don't know what you have until you lose it."

She never thought she would find herself in a position where she actually regret not falling for someone. Lydia had already asked herself that a thousand times, and she knew it wouldn't take her anywhere, but what the hell was wrong with her? She had gotten involved with so many stupid boys, assholes who treated her like shit and cared about no one but themselves - she had dated _Theo_ , the absolute worst. Now she would be lucky if she ever found a guy who took care of her like Stiles did, but something inside her kept saying that maybe he was it, maybe be was the right one for her, the one she could stick with, without fear. Lydia could totally live with that: it would be perfect, so perfect, to have him by her side not only as a best friend, but also as a lover.

On the other hand, she couldn't ignore the possibility that she may have missed her chance with Stiles. She could be too late, and it terrified her.

The Sheriff's voice sounded distant as he demanded an update on his son's situation; he still hadn't noticed that something had gone terribly wrong. Lydia felt bad for him: first he lost his wife in a slow and devastating way, and now he lost his only son with one single blow. When she was younger, she considered the Sheriff to be like a second father to her, and she hated that a good person like him had to go through so many fucked up things.

Not long after, the redhead felt two cold hands touching her arms. She lifted her face and focused on Allison, kneeling in front of her, with eyes puffy and red, a clear sign that she had been crying, but an excited smile on her lips. Lydia frowned.

"Monica brought news. Stiles is still in surgery, but he's definitely out of the woods now," Allison told her. Lydia blinked, confused.

"What? He's..." Her voice was raspy when she spoke, and she cleared her throat. "He's... alive? Stiles is alive?"

The brunette found her reaction funny. "Yeah, he is. We don't know any details yet, a doctor will talk to us anytime soon." She sighed and squeezed her friend's arms. "He's gonna be fine, Lydia."

"Oh, my god," the redhead gasped. She hugged Allison, who hugged her back with the same enthusiasm. Relief poured down on Lydia like a bucket of cold water, leaving her a little light-headed; her head spun and she felt her consciousness almost slip through her fingers. Allison, noticing that she had all her friend's weight on her, gently pushed Lydia back on the armchair.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked with worry. Lydia closed her eyes and sighed; that wasn't the time to faint.

"Yeah, it's just that..." The redhead wet her lips. "I thought I had lost him, and... It kind of made me realize that I-I don't know what I would do without him..."

"Oh, Lydia..."

"I don't know who I would be, or how my life would work. You know what I mean?"

Allison stared at her in silence for a few seconds, biting her bottom lip to hide a smile as she tried to keep a straight face.

"Yeah, I do," she answered. "That's kind of how I feel about Scott."

"Doesn't it... scare you?"

"It did scare me a little at first, but that was before I knew he felt the same way about me. Now it's just... Perfect. It's not like I live my life entirely for him. I'm still my own person, I can still be my own anchor. But it's different when you have someone by your side, someone you can lean on, someone how gets you in every level. It's comforting, you know? It feels good to have that kind of deep connection with someone."

Lydia nodded; she knew damn well what Allison was talking about. Stiles had been her anchor many times before, even when she didn't even know she needed one. The difference was that Allison and Scott were madly in love with each other...

"I'm glad you're finally realizing that, Lydia," the brunette said. Lydia frowned at her, but she only smiled, got on her feet and made her way back to her boyfriend's side.

Xxxx

Twenty minutes later, a doctor approached them. They all got up and rushed to meet her, eager for any news.

"Are you Stiles Stilinski's family?" The doctor asked.

"Yes, I'm his father," the Sheriff said, stepping forward. The doctor smiled politely.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Grey. I'm gonna start by telling you that your son is fine and that he's being taken to a room as we speak. As you know, he was stabbed by a sharp object, most likely a knife, which punctured his liver and caused a severe bleed. We were able to repair the damaged part of the organ and control the bleed, but he had already lost a lot of blood, so a transfusion was inevitable."

"Was there any permanent damage, doctor?" The Sheriff asked.

"Aside from the scar, he should have full recovery," she answered. "But he still has to stay here for at least two weeks, for observation."

Noah let out a relieved sigh and grabbed the doctor's hand.

"That you so much for saving my boy's life," he said with a trembling voice. Dr. Grey smiled again.

"It was my pleasure," she said. "Stiles is still hasn't woken up yet, but you can come see him."

The Sheriff nodded and followed her down the hall, turning around only to quickly give them a thumbs up.

"Thank god," Scott sighed, running a hand across his face. He put his arms around both of the girls and the three friends hugged each other, relieved beyond explainable.

Scott rushed to visit his friend, - his brother,- as soon as the Sheriff came back. Lydia waited not so patiently for her turn, biting on her thumbnail. She was about to go to the room and drag Scott out when he showed up in the hallway, gesturing for her to go ahead. The girl took a deep breath and marched into the room, but halted in the doorway. Seeing Stiles lying on that bed, - pale, unconscious and fragile, - was harder than she expected. Lydia wished she could see the warm color of his eyes, just to make sure that he was really okay, but she would have to wait a little longer.

She approached his bed and held his cold hand. Stiles didn't move, as expected, and she wondered if he knew she was there. She placed her free hand on his chest, right over his heart, and she stood there for a few minutes, feeling him breathing under her palm. Lydia could feel herself getting stronger with every beat of his heart. She leaned in and pressed her lips longingly against his cheek.

"I love you, okay?" She murmured in his ear. "I'm sorry."

Lydia ran her fingers through his hair, brushing if away from his eyes. She caressed his cheekbones as she admired every inch of his face. She never wanted to taste the feeling of almost losing him, never again in her whole life. And she could stay there until he woke up, just watching him breathing. Lydia sighed, kissed his forehead and left the room reluctantly so Allison could see him too.

Monica ignored her niece's request to sleep in the hospital and took her home. It was the middle of the night, the girl had been awake for more than twelve hours and hadn't eaten a thing in the meantime. In the car, Lydia started feeling the effects of an agitated night coming down on her. When they arrived home, she dragged her feet upstairs and took a long shower before going back to the kitchen to eat. After eating the sandwiches Monica had made her, it became hard for her to keep her eyes open, so she made her way back upstairs and buried herself under the covers.

Lydia woke up at the end of the next morning after a sleep with no dreams. It was Monday, but she couldn't care less. She took a shower, got ready and went back to the hospital with Monica, stopping at a coffee shop on their way. The girl's heart was like a drum in her chest as she walked down the white hallways, holding a small paper bag and a paper cup with hot coffee. She found the Sheriff sitting on one of the armchairs next to his son's room, looking tired and beaten, but probably too scared to go home.

"Good morning," Lydia greeted him. Noah gave her a weak smile.

"Morning, Lydia."

"I brought this to you." She handed him the cup and the paper bag. "My aunt figured that you stayed here this whole time, and according to her, a new day doesn't start before breakfast."

His smile got a little brighter as he accepted his breakfast. "Oh, you didn't have to... But thank you." The sheriff took a sip of the black, steaming coffee, - Stiles' favorite kind, and she remembered he once told her he had gotten his taste from his father,- and sighed. "Shit, I needed this. Say thank you to your aunt, too."

Lydia nodded. She laid her eyes on the room door and bit her lip anxiously. "Is he awake?"

"He was earlier, but he's probably asleep now. The boy loves his naps." Noah noticed the disappointment on her face and added: "Stiles asked about you today. He was happy to know you stayed the night waiting for news."

Her cheeks burned a little and she smiled coyly. "Allison and Scott are on their way. We'll stay with him so you can go home and get some rest."

The Sheriff hesitated for a moment. "I doubt I'll get any sleep, but I do need to shower," he said, and she laughed. "Thank you, Lydia."

"No problem," she assured him. The girl left him enjoying his breakfast and walked to the room door; she tiptoed inside to not wake him up. Stiles slept peacefully, looking less pale than the night before, but definitely not healthy enough. His lips were slightly parted,pouting a little, and his hair was messier than before, which proved her theory that it was alive.

Smiling, Lydia sat on the chair placed right beside his bed. She grabbed his hand, which was still cold. Stiles had calloused palms and long, skilled fingers. It was a big contrast from her small, soft hand, but she liked the effect of their hands together. She laid her palm over his to check the size difference, then intertwined her fingers with his.

"Hi."

Lydia nearly jumped out of the chair. "Jesus Christ!" She gasped, covering his mouth with both hands. Stiles watched her with a calm smile on his face.

"Nah, just the good old Stiles."

Recovered from the scare, the redhead laughed, shaking her head. She looked at him, happy to see him awake and smiling. Stiles didn't look away, on the contrary, he reached out for her hand and squeezed it.

"Hi," she murmured. "How are you feeling? Does it hurt?"

"Just a little. The meds are making my head all heavy, it's pissing me off. Aside from that, I couldn't be better. You know, given the circumstances." He shrugged lightly. "You didn't have to spend the night here."

"Technically I didn't spend the night because I went home before dawn. And yes, of course I had to. Where else would I be? I would go wherever you were, even if you hadn't showed up at my doorstep like that," she said, looking in his eyes. Stiles just stared her back, hesitating to say something she already knew what it was.

"Lydia, I'm really so..."

"Nope. Hum-hum. No way."

"What?"

"I'm not gonna let you apologize."

"But..."

"No, shush. I need to talk." Lydia bit her lip and took a deep breath. "I've been feeling like shit since that night. And I don't want you to apologize, because what you said... I needed to hear that. I had to know about all that, about your feelings and what I put you through..." She felt the tears threatening to come up and took another deep breath. "I've been the most ignorant and selfish person in the world and I'm sorry. Truly, I... I wish I could go back in time and fix it, but all I can do right now is say how sorry I am."

Stiles shook his head. "No, stop that. It's not right." She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off. "I chose not to tell you, okay? I didn't have the guts. I... I was afraid you'd freak out or get mad at me or, I don't know, kick my ass or something. I didn't wanna risk our friendship, so I figured it would be better just to keep the secret."

"But what if I'd known before? Things could have been so much different."

"Different how?"

"I wouldn't have drifted away like that. Or maybe I would, I'll never know. And we could've... I don't know, _happened_. We could've been a possibility. I wish I could've seen us that way before."

Stiles stared at her with a deep frown on his face, completely confused by her words.

"What are you... What?"

"I thought you had died last night," she said, fighting the tears. "I thought I had lost you and it was... Horrible. It was terrifying and it hurt, Stiles, it fucking hurt. That's what it took for me to realize that my life wouldn't be right without you. You're my best friend, you've always been, but I don't know if I make it clear how much you're important to me. Sometimes you're all I need, 'cause you always make everything better. You make me feel..." She smiled lightly. "Warm and safe, you take care of me even when I tell you no. That's why now I see that we've always been a maybe. We've always been too close to becoming something else. If only we had more time, or if I hadn't been so stupid, or if I had realized sooner that you were... that you are everything."

Stiles looked at her like he had never seen her before. Hearing those words was too unreal to make any sense, so he waited until they slowly fit in together in his head. He had been waiting for her to yell at him, not to apologize. Or to open her heart like that. Definitely not to learn that the two of them together, not only as friends, was a possibility.

He didn't waste any more time. Stiles placed his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her towards him, kissing her. Lydia gasped, but didn't pull back; on the contrary, she put her free hand on his neck and melted into the kiss. The feeling of her lips against his was even better than he remembered. His heart seemed to be trying burst in his chest, and she could feel it under her palm. She smiled.

"You really think we're a maybe?" He whispered. Lydia #pulled away just enough so she could look him in the eye when she nodded.


	26. Funny Sensation

"I was on my way to Lydia's house," Stiles told them. "I didn't wanna wait until the next day and it wasn't a long walk. I was almost there when someone grabbed my shoulder and dragged me to a corner. I don't know where he came from and I couldn't see his face, because it was dark and he was wearing a ski mask of something, but I'm sure it was a dude. I didn't see when he pulled out the knife, but suddenly there was pain and he was gone. Somehow I managed to walk to Lydia's porch and... Well, the rest you know better than me."

Lydia pressed her lips together, took a deep breath and for a second she thought that none of that made sense. After they recovered from the shock, Scott, Allison, Stiles and she started to solve the mystery that the past Sunday night had turned out to be. The crime had shocked the whole city and the police was still trying to figure out what the hell had happened.

The pieces of that puzzle came together so suddenly that startled her. Who else had the motive? Who else was crazy enough?

"Theo," she said, interrupting the conversation she hadn't been listening to.

"Hun?" Her friends frowned at her.

"Guys, it's obvious it was him!" She exclaimed. "He knows where I live and he had the motive! I mean, he _said_ he was going for revenge!"

They looked at each other.

"You think that with 'getting revenge' he actually meant 'trying to murder me'?" Stiles asked. "Isn't that too... Radical?"

"I don't doubt it," Allison said. "I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't planned a thing until like, three minutes before he attacked you. The guy's is insane, he could have acted on an impulse."

"But if he didn't plan it, how did he know where Stiles would be? The location seems to specific," Scott said.

"We can figure out the details later," Lydia reasoned impatiently. "Now we need to call the station and start hunting that son of a bitch."

Stiles put a hand on her arm. "Lydia, are you sure you want to report him? It's a very serious accusation."

"I'm sure it was him," she insisted. "Do you have anyone else threatening your life?"

"Ahn... N-"

"That's what I thought. Is your dad at work right now?"

"Yeah, he-"

"I'm on it," Scott said, pressing his phone against his ear.

"Lydia, are you sure that-"

"Stiles," she cut him off, looking him in the eyes. "Theo is our only suspect so far, and right now I don't even care if he's guilty or not. We're not gonna stop until we get him, okay?"

The boy sighed and nodded. Lydia gave him a small smile and a kiss on the forehead.

The Sheriff didn't take too long to arrive at the hospital. He had a harsh expression on his face, like he was ready to kick someone's ass.

"Is it true you know who did this to Stiles?" He asked as soon as he entered the room. Lydia nodded with confidence.

"Theo Reaken," she told him. Noah narrowed his eyes, put his hands on his hips and eyed the teenagers around him. He pulled up a chair and sat down, facing them.

"Okay. Who is this Theo and what is the matter with him?" He questioned.

Lydia took a deep breath and decided to tell the story from the very beginning. Stiles didn't let go of her hand, which she was grateful for. She told him about the things Theo had done, the fake and abusive relationship and all those threats. She gave him all the reasons why she was sure Theo was the one who attacked Stiles, and those reasons seem to be enough for the Sheriff too.

"Son of a bitch!" He hissed, quickly turning to his son. "Why haven't you told me about any of this?"

Stiles blinked. "I jus- You know, I- Well..." He stuttered. "I mean, the guy is an asshole, I wasn't gonna take him seriously..."

"Right. Right, okay." Noah went silent for a few seconds, probably to calm down a little, then turned to Lydia. "What you just told me isn't an official statement, you're gonna have to stop by the station as soon as possible."

"Do we have enough to arrest him?" Allison asked.

"Obviously we still have to investigate, but we're off to a good start with all your statements. And I'll make sure this Theo guy visits the station too." He got up and put his hand on his son's shoulder. "I gotta go make a call now. We're gonna catch whoever did this to you. If this guy is really guilty, he's gonna pay."

Stiles nodded. Noah stroked his boy's hair and finally noticed that he was holding Lydia's hand. The Sheriff raised his eyebrows and couldn't help but smile as he left the room.

"Well, Theo's fucked," Stiles said when they were alone. The four friends laughed, excited with the idea of finally getting back at him.

Xxxx

Lydia would rather stay the day besides Stiles, but on Tuesday she had to go to school. She tried to pay attention and enjoy her classes, but she couldn't help but stare at the clock, anxious to get out. Stiles was completely out of danger, and Lydia being there wouldn't make him recover any faster, but she didn't like the idea of leaving him alone in that hospital. Maybe it was because of all the horrible moments he had already lived in there and her desire to keep him away from all that. Or maybe she was getting a little addicted to the changes in her heartbeat every time she thought about being physically close to him again.

It was a funny sensation. The restlessness and butterflies in her stomach were somehow new to Lydia. It's not that she'd never felt like that for any guy before; sometimes her heart would insist on trying to make her fall in love, though it never really managed to do that. But knowing that her heart was making all that fuss because of Stiles... it made it feel better. Way better. It showed how much their relationship had changed, and it proved that it was true that they had always been close to being something else. A step forward was everything they've ever needed.

"Are you Lydia Martin?" The redhead, who had been staring at the inside of her locker with a silly smile on her face, jumped when she heard the unknown voice right behind her. She spun on her heels to face a blonde and a brunette girl that looked at her with expectation.

"Hm, yes," she answered. "And who are you?"

"I'm Veronica, this is Ashley," the brunette introduced them. "We heard about what happened with Stiles..."

"Yeah, it's just awful..."

"And we got really worried... How is he?"

Lydia blinked and raised her eyebrows. "He's fine. He has to stay in the hospital for a couple weeks, but he's not in danger."

"Aw, poor baby," Veronica said, putting a hand on her chest.

"Is it true he could have died?" Ashley asked. Lydia frowned at her. "Oh, no, he's too pretty to die like that."

"Wow, that would've been a tragedy." Suddenly, Veronica widened her eyes, as if something important had just occurred to her, and grabbed her friend's arm. "Ash, maybe that's why he didn't call me!"

The blonde soon had the same look on her face. "Because he was dying? That totally makes sense!" She thought about it for a second and furrowed her brow. "Why didn't he call _me_ before?"

"Babe, I couldn't care less." Veronica threw her long hair over her shoulder and looked at Lydia as if they were best friends too. "Can you imagine him calling my number the moment he got attacked?"

"Oh, that's so romantic!" Ashley sighed. Veronica grabbed her arm again.

"Girl, we should go visit him!"

"Ronnie, you can't do these things in a hospital," the blonde said, smiling scandalized.

"What things? I just wanna see how he is," the brunette said with a fake innocent face, but then she gave a smile full of second intentions. "Besides, you've done things in far worse places."

"True."

"So, I could just make him a surprise, drop by..."

"Stiles can't have visitors!" Lydia blurted out a little too loud. The two girls stared at her in confusion. The redhead's blood had been heating up as she listened to their conversation until she couldn't take it anymore; she hoped the itch to punch them wasn't too evident on her face. She took a deep breath and managed to put an overly sweet smile on her lips. "Family only. Doctor's orders."

"I thought you said he wasn't in danger," Veronica said.

"Doctor's order, _Ronnie._ You think you know better than them?" Lydia questioned with clenched teeth.

"She's right, babe. We should wait until he's stronger," Ashley reasoned.

"Alright." The brunette threw her hair over her shoulder again and looked at Lydia. "Could you send him a kiss from me?"

"From us!"

"And tell him to... Get well! And that we're rooting for him."

"Will do." Lydia gave him the most fake smile she had, but it seemed to be enough for them, because they smiled back. The girls waved goodbye and resumed her way down the hall.

Lydia let go of the air she didn't know she was holding. So, Veronica and Ashley. Who the hell were they? How did they know Stiles? Ah, of course, they were characters from his "new age". The redhead immediately decided that she hated them. She shut her locker and leaned against it, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply.

"Let me guess: they were asking about Stiles," Allison asked, approaching her friend.

"How do you know?"

"Three other girls already came to talk to me. They were all worried and 'oh my god I can't believe someone did this to him'". Allison scoffed. "What did you tell them?"

"That he can't have visitors," she answered in a low voice. The brunette laughed.

"Nice. I told them I needed to ask him if he even remembers them first."

Lydia crossed her arms and pressed her lips together. Was every girl in that school actually worried about Stiles? Or they just wanted to know why hadn't he called yet?

Malia walked over to them with a frown on her face.

"For some reason, Veronica came gossip with me about Stiles' condition, and when I told her I had visited him this morning and that he looked totally fine, she was shocked. Is someone spreading the news that he's between life and death?" The blonde widened her eyes. "Or we could tell everyone that he died and cause panic when he comes back."

"No, that's horrible," Allison said, wrinkling her nose. Malia shrugged. "Lydia told them Stiles can't have visitors."

Malia raised her eyebrows at Lydia. "Good idea. I told them he wouldn't want to see their faces ever again and told one of them to go fuck herself because she was treating me like a widow. Someone should tell those girls they don't stand a chance against Lydia Martin."

Lydia opened her mouth, just to close it again. She never really had the opportunity to talk to Malia about their relationship. It seemed dumb to just apologize; though none of that was really her fault, it was a little too late to say she was sorry. Yet, she couldn't stop feeling guilty.

"Malia I..." she started to say, but the blonde raised a hand to interrupt her before she began.

"Don't do this. I have no resentment, Lydia," Malia said. "Well, just a tiny bit. I got mad at you at first, but Stiles and I not working out is not on you. I understand his side and yours, he understands my side, so it's all good. Seriously."

Lydia smiled, relieved.

"And let's not talk about this ever again, okay?" Malia finished. The redhead raised her hands.

"Fine by me."

"Good."

"So, Stiles and you, is it official? Are you guys dating?" Allison asked, incapable to hide the excitement on her voice and on her face.

"Ahn..." Lydia bit her bottom lip. Were they? They were a more than a few steps away from the friendzone, but were they already in a whole different zone? "It's complicated."

Allison scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Woman, for the love of god!" Malia boomed.

"What? We haven't worked things out yet, it's just too soon!" Lydia defended herself.

" _Too soon?_ " Allison repeated, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes!"

The brunette opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it and took a deep breath. "It's fine, I've waited, I can wait a little longer."

Lydia shook her head. "You know what? I'm not gonna argue about it." She hung her bag on her shoulder. "I'll see you guys later."

Allison and Malia waited until she was far enough so they could face each other.

"Time for a bet?" The blonde offered.

"Time for a bet."

Xxxx

Lydia knocked twice on the door and opened it after hearing his voice a "come in!" from inside.

"Lydia!" Stiles beamed when she stepped inside. The girl placed her bag on a small table in the corner and raised her eyebrows at him, amused by the scene in front of her: Stiles, with at least then colorful jello cups on his lap. He had just finished a strawberry one that had left his lips tainted red.

"That doesn't seem healthy," she said.

"Why? It's made out of real fruit," he tried to reason, looking at her like a child.

"Where did all this jello come from? Don't you get just one per meal?"

Stiles shrugged. He threw away the empty cup and grabbed a yellow one. "I'm friends with the nurses. They like me 'cause I'm adorable."

Lydia nodded, crossing her arms on her chest. "Talking about friendship, I spoke with some friends of yours today," she said, trying to sound indifferent. The boy frowned.

"Who?"

"Veronica and Ashley," she answered. Stiles was still eyeing her like he didn't know who she was talking about. "Ten feet tall brunette and perky blonde."

Lydia narrowed her eyes as the confused expression slowly faded from his face. "Oh."

"Yeah. Veronica was wondering why you haven't called her yet, but she came to the conclusion that it was because of all that happened. And Ashley still has high hopes." The girl snorted. "You know, they're really worried. They sent kisses. Oh, and some other girls also talked to Allison and Malia, so don't be surprised when a nurse comes to tell you that every single girl from Beacon Hills High School is in the lobby waiting to see you."

She only noticed the anger in her voice when she stopped to catch a breath. Stiles stared at her with wide eyes, but after a few seconds of silence, he opened an ear-to-ear smile.

"I thought I wouldn't live enough to see Lydia Martin jealous of me," he said.

"Who's jealous? I'm not jealous," she quickly defended herself.

"Yes, you are. And I just discovered that you also look beautiful when you're jealous."

"I'm not jealous!" She insisted, ignoring the compliment. "What can I do if all the girls like you 'cause you're oh so adorable?"

He laughed and ran a hand across his face. "Ow man, this is too much. Lydia is jealous of me. Amazing."

"Stiles!"

"Okay, I'll stop." He looked at her with a more serious expression. "You know they don't mean anything to me, right?"

"No, I don't. And neither do they, apparently," she said. "What's gotten into you, anyway? Not everyone can win so many admirers in so little time."

Stiles pressed his lips together. "Well, ahn..." he began cautiously. That was another thing he would have to come clean about. "It was because of you, actually."

Lydia raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Because of me!?"

"It's more about what you said. Regarding the kiss."

"Oh."

"Yeah, I got pretty upset. No, I was upset as fuck. Then I thought 'this isn't gonna take me anywhere, anyway. I gotta move on.' And, well, I figured the only way to get over a girl was with other girls. And booze."

Lydia nodded, feeling something twist in an unpleasant way in her stomach. Of course, the kiss. How Stiles must have felt when she told him to forget about it? Was there an end to the list of things she had done that ended up hurting him.

"I'm sorry," he said, reaching for her hand when he saw sadness in her eyes.

"No, don't be sorry. _I_ am sorry. Thanks for being honest with me." She gave him a small smile, stepping closer to the bed. "And it didn't work?"

Stiles shook his head. "Nope, I'm still here, totally hung up on you."

The girl's cheeks got hot and her smile grew. She looked down at their hands and intertwined their fingers.

"What about all those girls? They didn't help at all?"

"Nah, I'm more into redheads."

"Jane Dawson is a redhead."

"Jane Dawson is not Lydia Martin," assured Stiles, looking in her eyes, making sure that his mind was made up and nothing would change that. Lydia giggled and sat on the edge of the bed to take off her heels. Stiles put his jellos on the bedside table and scooched over so she could lay by his side. On the small space of the bed, they shared the pillows and intertwined their legs, leaving almost no room between them.

"If it makes you feel better, I didn't hold up my end of the deal either," she murmured, looking at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't forget the kiss."

"Oh, no?"

"Not at all. But do you mind refreshing my memory?"

Stiles admired her face, completely enchanted and madly in love, and touched her lips with his. He kissed her gently and slowly, as if a sudden move could make her disappear. She sighed, caressing his cheek, and smiled against his lips. She laid her head on his shoulder and he kissed her sweet, scented hair, squeezing his arm around her. His other hand found hers over his chest, where his heart beat uncontrollably.

They both ended up falling asleep. Lydia woke up not much time later, disoriented. She looked around the room and had the unsettling feeling that something was off; it was too dark and the air was too stiff. She lifted her hair from his shoulder and noticed that Stiles' previously white shirt was also darker now, and she saw red, red all over him. She sat up, horrified, and her fingerprints marked all over by her bloody hands. Stiles didn't move, he didn't even seem to be breathing. A cold laugh echoed from the corner of the room and a scream got stuck in her throat. A silhouette slowly approached her.

"Hello, Lydia. I came to finish the job," Theo said, smirking from ear to ear.

Lydia opened her eyes and quickly sat up, gasping for air. The room was the same way as before and, when she looked at her hands, she saw no trace of blood. Stiles pulled himself up and put a soothing hand on her back.

"Are you okay?" He asked with concern.

The redhead looked at him, relieved. She put her hands on both sides of his face and kissed him, catching him by surprise. It had been just a nightmare; Stiles was there and he was fine and nothing bad was ever going to happen to him again.

He blinked in a silly way when she broke the kiss. "Hello," he spoke, confused, but overall pleased with the surprise. Lydia laughed and laid her head back on his shoulder.

"Oh shit, I gotta go," she suddenly said.

"Why?" He practically whined.

"I told your dad I was gonna stop by the station after school," she explained, throwing her legs off the bed and immediately missing his warmth.

"I wish I could go with you," he said, watching her put on her heels.

"Don't worry, it's gonna be fine." Lydia leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Stiles smiled and nodded. She smiled back and stepped back, grabbed her bag and walked to the door. She looked back and caught him staring at her like he couldn't believe that was happening. Lydia blushed and walked out. She was having a hard time believing it too.


End file.
